TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 361

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MDLIAN 3.42

SESSIONS WITH SECRETARY FOR SECURITY (BARNES) ON 11 AND 15 JULY

AND DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WITH SECURITY BRANCH AND IMMIGRATION

DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS ON SCREENING AND WITH SECURITY BRANCH AND

CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS ON LIBERALISATION OF CLOSED CENTRES. ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR THEM TO VISIT HEI LING CHAU DETENTION CENTRE, TUEN MUN AND SHAM SHUI PO CLOSED CENTRES, THE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING WHICH IS BEING FITTED OUT FOR USE AS A

FURTHER CLOSED CENTRE AND THE SITE IN TUEN MUN FOR THE PROPOSED NEW OPEN CENTRE. WE ALSO ARRANGED FOR THEM TO SEE A SQUATTER AREA

AND A TEMPORARY HOUSING ESTATE TO GIVE THEM A MORE BALANCED PICTURE

OF LIVING CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG AND A BASIS FOR COMPARISON WITH

CONDITIONS IN CLOSED AND DETENTION CENTRES.

4.

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(NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) WARNING NOTICE: AT THE OUTSET, BAYANDOR REPEATED UNHCR'S CONCERN ON POSSIBLE TURNING AWAY OF GENUINE REFUGEES, BUT HIS POSITION SEEMED TO SOFTEN TOWARDS THE END OF THE VISIT. HE CONCEDED THAT, WHILE THE WARNING NOTICE REMAINED AN ISSUE OF CONCERN TO UNHCR IT MIGHT BE PREMATURE TO

PRESS FOR A FURTHER CHANGE IN THE WORDING AS LONG AS WE WOULD AGREE TO KEEP THIS UNDER REVIEW IN THE LIGHT OF TALKS WITH HANOI, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND. S FOR S

MADE IT CLEAR THAT HKG WOULD NOT WISH TO CHANGE THE WORDING AT THIS STAGE. EVEN WITH THE PRESENT FORM OF WORDS, SOME NEW ARRIVALS AFTER REACHING HE LING CHAU HAVE ALLEGED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE PROSPECT OF DETENTION PENDING REPATRIATION WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN HONG KONG. HOWEVER WE SAID WE WOULD, WITHOUT COMMITMENT, BE PREPARED TO RECONSIDER AT A LATER STAGE.

5.

SCREENING CRITERIA AND DETAILED PROCEDURE:

IN RESPONSE TO BAYANDOR AND BARI'S REQUEST FOR A WIDER INTERPREATION OF 1951 CONVENTION DEFINITION AND THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING REFUGEE STATUS, WE AGREED TO LOOK IN GREATER DETAIL INTO THE HUMANITARIAN DIMENSION (SUCH AS FAMILY REUNIFICATION) ON

AN INDIVIDUAL CASE BASIS. WE STRESSED THAT FROM THE OUTSET WE HAD INDICATED OUR WILLINGNESS TO DISCUSS IN DETAIL WITH UNHCR THE

APPLICATION OF THEIR GUIDELINES AND CRITERIAL TO THE SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF BOAT PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM. THEY THOUGHT AN EXPERT(S)

COULD COME TO HONG KONG QUICKLY TO DISCUSS THESE MATTERS WITH OUR

INTERVIEWERS AND TO OBSERVE OUR PRCOEDURES IN MORE DETAIL. WE SAID WE WOULD WELCOME THIS. THEY PROPOSED THAT WE SHOULD WITHHOLD ANNOUNCEMENT OF ANY SCREENING RESULTS UNTIL THIS COULD HAPPEN AND

THE UNHCR HAD HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK INTO INDIVIDUAL CASES.

WE SAID THAT WE DID NOT PLAN TO ANNOUNCE ANY SCREENING RESULTS

FOR THE MOMENT FOR MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY REASONS. IF THE UNHCR

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