TNAG-1797-FCO40-2557-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 209

CONFIDENTIAL

MDHIAI

113630

477

CONSEQUENTLY WE NEED TO THINK OUT CAREFULLY HOW WE PLAY THE

REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE CARD.

REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE

5. AS SEEN FROM HERE, WE SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN MAKING AN OFFER OF REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE AT THE SECOND ROUND.

THERE WILL NOT BE TIME TO PUT TOGETHER THE MAIN INGREDIENTS OF THE

PACKAGE BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND: NOR IS IT LIKELY THAT THE UNHCR WILL

BE READY TO PLAY THEIR PART. NEVERTHELESS WE THINK IT WILL BE

NECESSARY TO GIVE THE VIETNAMESE SOME GENERAL INDICATION OF WHAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE, ON WHAT TERMS, AND HOW IT MIGHT RELATE TO A LATER, LARGER MULTILATERAL PACKAGE.

6. WE ARE CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO RECONCILE ANY REINTEGRATION

ASSISTANCE ARRANGEMENT WITH HMG'S POSITION ON AID TO VIETNAM. IT WILL

CONTROL THE FLOW OF ASSISTANCE TO PREVENT THE VIETNAMESE

A POTENTIALLY PROFITABLE CIRCULAR TRAFFIC IN ITS OWN

ALSO BE TO

EXPLOITING

CITIZENS.

7. WE THINK THE KEY TO THE ISSUE OF REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE, AS PART OF A PACKAGE TO START TACKLING THE HONG KONG PROBLEM IN ADVANCE OF A

POSSIBLE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, IS THAT IT SHOULD BE STRUCTURED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO ALLOW IT TO BECOME THE BASIS OF A MULTILATERAL

ARRANGEMENT, EITHER AS A PILOT OR A MODEL SCHEME.

8. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE UNHCR'S ACQUIESCENCE WILL BE CRUCIAL TO OUR

BEING ABLE TO PUT FORWARD ANY PROPOSALS IN THIS AREA. WE ENVISAGE A

UNHCR MANAGED FUND WHICH WOULD RECEIVE CONTRIBUTIONS INITIALLY FROM

HMG AND HKG. WE COULD PERHAPS HOPE FOR (BUT SHOULD NOT RELY ON) EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OTHER DONOR COUNTRIES, SUCH AS JAPAN AND POSSIBLY AUSTRALIA AND CANADA, ON THE BASIS OF UNHCR ENDORSEMENT OF THE ARRANGEMENT. ANY CONTRIBUTION FROM THE U.S -WOULD PRESUMABLY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEIR BASIC CONDITIONS FOR AID (WITHDRAWAL FROM CAMBODIA)

HAD BEEN MET. BUT WE WOULD HOPE THAT U.S. RELUCTANCE TO CONTRIBUTE

NOW WOULD NOT BE A BAR ON OTHERS DOING SO. WE TAKE SOME COMFORT FROM

THE FACT THAT (IN THEIR PAPER TO THE ASEAN WORKING GROUP) THE U.S.

SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THEY WOULD NOT YET BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO A REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FUND THEY HAD NO OBJECTIONS TO OTHERS DOING

SO.

9. WE HAVE ALSO TAKEN SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM REMARKS MADE BY QUINONES (DEPUTY DIRECTOR, REGIONAL AFFAIRS SOUTH EAST ASIA) DURING HIS VISIT TO HONG KONG AND THE U.S. ATTITUDE AT THE 16/17 SEPTEMBER

MEETING IN BANKOK. THE U.S. NOW SEEMS TO BE MORE WELCOMING TO THE