TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 241

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VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WOULD BE ACCEPTED BY VIETNAM

THERE WOULD BE NO PERSECUTION OF THOSE RETURNED.

THAILAND WELCOMED VIETNAM'S CHANGE IN ATTITUDE BUT WANTED TO SEE VIETNAMESE WORDS MATCHED BY DEEDS. THERE WERE 50 FAR NO PRACTICAL RESULTS TO SHOW FROM APPROACHES MADE ON REPATRIATION.

IT WAS THEREFORE NECESSARY TO TALK TO VIETNAM ON MULTILATERAL CONCERNS AND FOR THIS REASON VIETNAM COULD JOIN THE WORKING GROUP PROCESS AT A SUITABLE TIME.

5. IN COMMENTING ON THE ISSUES THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED AT THE VARIOUS MEETINGS, PRACHA SAID

UNHCR WAS INSISTING ON SCREENING

THAILAND LINKED SCREENING WITH REPATRIATION AND WOULD LIKE BOTH MECHANISMS TO ENTER INTO OPERATION SIMULTANEOUSLY.

IN RESPONSE TO THIS WE POINTED TO THE DANGER OF DELAYING THE INTRODUCTION OF SCREENING IN THAT THERE WOULD BE A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY OF A LARGE INFLUX OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE VIETNAM BEFORE MORE RESTRICTIVE ARRANGEMENTS ARE SET UP.

THAILAND WAS ALSO THINKING IN TERMS OF INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION AND NOT VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION AS CURRENTLY CONSIDERED BY THE US, VIETNAM AND THE UNHCR.

IN THIS CONTEXT PRACHA MENTIONED THAT THE CONCEPT OF AN OFF-SHORE HOLDING CENTRE WAS STILL BEING GIVEN CONSIDERATION WITHIN THE RTG.

A FUNDAMENTAL CONCERN OF THAILAND WAS THAT SCREENING WOULD LEAVE THE FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES WITH A RESIDUAL POPULATION

THE MFA WOULD HAVE TO CONVINCE THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR THAT SCREENING WAS GOING TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION, WHICH WAS WHY SCREENING WITHOUT REPATRIATION MADE LITTLE SENSE TO THEM UNLES5 SOME FORM OF HOLDING CENTRE BECAME PART OF THE ARRANGEMENT.

THAILAND WAS SEEKING MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT TO A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR SCREENING AND REPATRIATION BUT UNDERSTOOD THAT SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS FOR REPATRIATION WOULD NOT BE DONE ON A BILATERAL BASIS.

6. IN CONCLUSION, PRACHA REITERATED THAT THERE WAS CURRENTLY AN OPENING WITH RESPECT TO THE VIETNAMESE ATTITUDE TO ITS DEPARTING POPULATION AND THE THAILAND WISHED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPENING TO DRAW THE VIETNAMESE OUT AND NOT BACK THEM INTO A CORNER.

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