CONFIDENTIAL
1.26637 MDHIAN 9155
STATUS) CRITERIA WOULD CONTINUE TO BE APPLIED TO THOSE WHO HAD REACHED COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM. IN OTHER WORDS, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO HAD LEFT VIETNAM SHOULD BE RESETTLED AND NOT REPATRIATED.
DE MELLO HAD RESPONDED THAT RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA AND REFUGEE ELIGIBILITY STATUS CRITERIA (IE SCREENING) SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED: THE LATTER WAS TO ESTABLISH HOW MANY BOAT PEOPLE WERE IN FACT ECONOMIC MIGRANTS.
5. VIETNAM HAD STRESSED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO/NO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RETURNEES. THEY WERE PLANNING TO SET UP A MECHANISM FOR REINTEGRATION OF RETURNEES (LAST SENTENCE, PARA 6 OF HANOI TELNO 272). MFA AND VIETNAMESE RED CROSS WOULD PROBABLY BE THE IMPLEMENTATING AGENCY. DE MELLO ASKED IF THE HONG KONG DELEGATION
COULD SEEK FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS POINT.
6. ON MONITORING THE TREATMENT OF RETURNEES, DE MELLO GAVE US A MORE CAUTIOUS LINE THAN IN BANGKOK TELNO 510. HE SAID THAT, PROVIDED THAT UNHCR HAD ACCESS TO THE RETURNESS, THAT RETURNESS STARTED GOING BACK AND THAT THERE WAS NO OBJECTION RAISED TO UNHCR PROVIDING
ASSISTANCE, UNHCR MIGHT (REPEAT MIGHT) BE PREPARED TO ENVISAGE LIMITED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR THE RE-INTEGRATION OF RETURNEES AS PART OF A PACKAGE. THIS WAS THE LINE UNHCR HAD TAKEN, CONTRARY TO PRESS STATEMENTS IN BANGKOK.
7. VIETNAM HAD UNDERSTOOD THAT UNHCR COULD NOT GET INVOLVED IN THE
LARGER ISSUE OF DEVELOPMENT-TYPE ASSISTANCE NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ILLEGAL DEPARTURES. VIETNAM WOULD BE SATISFIED
WITH UNHCR'S OFFER OF LIMITED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN ORDER TO GET THE RETURNEE PACKAGE MOVING AND WOULD NOT/NOT MAKE THIS CONDITIONAL ON LARGER DEVELOPMENT-TYPE ASSITANCE ALTHOUGH THEY WOULD BE WANTING SUCH ASSISTANCE LATER.
8. REFERENCE PARA 7 OF BANGKOK TELNO 510, DE MELLO ALSO TOLD VIETNAM THAT UNHCR COULD NOT EXPRESS AN OPINION ON THE VOLUNTARY NATURE OF THE RETURN OF NON-REFUGEES, AS THESE PEOPLE WERE OF NO/NO CONCERN TO UNHCR. VIETNAM HAD SAID THAT, FOR HUMANITARIAN AND ECONOMIC REASONS, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT BACK PEOPLE FORCED TO RETURN. HOWEVER, VIETNAM WOULD BE PREPARED TO PLAY A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN PROMOTING THE VOLUNTARY RETURN OF THOE SCREENED-OUT.
9. DE MELLO SAID THAT THE FORTHCOMING BILATERALS (HONG KONG 3-5 AUGUST AND MALAYSIA EARLY SEPTEMBER) WERE IMPORTANT FOR
OUT
SPECIFIC PROBLEMS RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL TERRITORIES/COUNTRIES. THE
ASEAN WORKING GROUP ON REFUGEES WOULD MEET BEFORE THE MALAYSIAN
IRONING
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