TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 26

CONFIDENTIAL

170606 MDHIAN 0558

FUND WOULD BE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO THE GENERAL HELPFUL. THE POINT WAS ALSO MADE THAT THE COST OF ANY REPATRIATION ASSISTANCE WOULD BE CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THE LONG-TERM COST OV MAINTAINING VBP IN HK. MEMBERS THEREFORE SAY ADVANTAGE IN AN EARLY AGREEMENT ON REPATRIATION RATHER THAN NECESSARILY WAITING FOR THIRD COUNTRY CONTRIBUTIONS TO MATERIALISE. THERE WAS ALSO CONCERN THAT THE VIETNAMESE SHOULD NOT GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THE LONGER THEY DELAYED COMING TO TERMS THE LARGER WOULD BE THE PROSPECTIVE MATERIAL

GAIN FOR THEM.

VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION

11.

WE UNDERSTAND THE ATTRACTION OF TRYING TO GET VOLUNTARY RETURNS OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND. HOWEVER THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STRONG PRACTICAL AND TACTICAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS:

A)

OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE CURRENT PROCEDURE OF REPATRIATION THROUGH UNHCR IS THAT RETURNS IN THIS CATEGORY TAKE NORMALLY

5 MONTHS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 18 REFUGEE VOLUNTEERS AND 86 REQUESTS FROM POST 16 JUNE VBPS. WE COULD NOT HOPE TO GET ALL OF THESE BACK BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS.

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An

B) TO TRY TO HURRY THINGS UP BY GIVING LISTS OF VOLUNTEERS DIRECTLY TO THE VIETNAMESE WOULD BE RISKY FOR OUR NEGOTIATING TACTICS. WE WOULD GIVE THE VIETNAMESE THE IMPRESSION THAT WE WERE ACCEPTING THEIR PROPOSITION OF VOLUNTARY RETURNS. MOREOVER THEY WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO TAKE THE VOLUNTEERS BACK UNTIL WE HAD OFFERED SOME KIND OF ASSOCIATED ASSISTANCE.

C) WE EXPECT THAT VOLUNTEERS FOR REPATRIATION WILL CONTINUE TO EMERGE SO THAT WE ARE UNLIKELY TO REACH A POINT AT WHICH WE CAN SUGGEST TO THE VIETNAMESE THAT THAT GROUP HAS NOW BEEN DEALT WITH. INDEED IT IS IN OUR INTERESTS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD GO ON

VOLUNTEERING.

12. FOR THE TIME BEING THEREFORE WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PROCESS VOLUNTEERS THROUGH UNHCR. IT MAY TURN OUT IN THE COURSE OF NEGOTIATIONS THAT WE SHALL BE OBLIGED TO INCLUDE VOLUNTEERS IN A RINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE PACKAGE. THAT IN ITSELF SHOULD ENCOURAGE

AT THAT TIME WE MIGHT MORE VOLUNTEERS AND HELP TO SPEED THINGS UP.

DECIDE THAT IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO PASS NAMES DIRECTLY TO THE VIETNAMESE. BUT UNTIL THEN THERE IS A STRONG ARUMENT FOR KEEPING THE UNHCR INVOLVED AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE.

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