818
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 3500
CONFIDENTIAL
нко 243 18
OF 151245Z SEPTEMBER 88
REGIS Y
SEP 1988
ICER
PA
Loms
076672
TOP COPY MDHIAN 3798 O DIST ?
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI, WASHINGTON, BANGKOK, TOKYO INFO IMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR, CANBERRA, OTTAWA
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG.
US VIEWS ON THE BANGKOK MEETING
1.
ADAMS (HEAD OF CONSULAR SECTION) AND MURPHY (REFUGEE OFFICER) CALLED ON HANSON TODAY TO PRESENT THE NOTE SET OUT IN MIFT.
2. ADAMS EXPLAINED THAT WASHINGTON WAS CONCERNED THAT EVENTS WERE MOVING TOO QUICKLY TOWARDS A PREPCON AND THAT THE BASIC GROUND.
WORK HAD YET TO BE DONE. WASHINGTON TOOK THE VIEW THAT A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT ISSUES HAD TO BE IRONED OUT BETWEEN THE ASEAN COUNTRIES, THE UNHCR AND THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES BEFORE THE VIETNAMESE
SHOULD BE BROUGHT INTO THE DISCUSSIONS. ADAMS IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOW- ING ISSUES AS PRIORITIES.
J
(1) FIRST ASYLUM. WASHINGTON APPARENTLY FEELS THAT THE POLICY OF
FIRST ASYLUM IS IN JEOPARDY AND THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT THIS BE
CEMENTED IN PLACE AS A MATTER OF SOME URGENCY.
(2) SCREENING. WASHINGTON SUPPORTS THE PRINCIPLE OF SCREENING TO DETERMINE STATUS, PROVIDED THAT IT IS CARRIED OUT ACCORDING TO THE UNHCR GUIDELINES. THE US WOULD LIKE TO SEE SCREENING CARRIED OUT THROUGHOUT THE REGION ON THE BASIS OF A BROAD AGREEMENT ON CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES. ADAMS COMMENTED THAT THE HONG KONG/UNHCR UNDERSTAND- ING WAS SEEN IN WASHINGTON AS BEING QUOTE EXEMPLARY UNQUOTE.
(3) COMMON APPROACH TO THE VIETNAMESE. ADAMS EXPLAINED THAT WASHINGTON THOUGHT IT ESSENTIAL THAT THERE BE A REGIONAL APPROACH TO
THE VIETNAMESE AND THAT THEY SAW CONSIDERABLE DANGER IN THE EMERGING BILATERAL PATTERN.
3. ADAMS SAID THAT THERE WAS A NEED TO DEVELOP A CONSENSUS ON THESE ISSUES BEFORE THE VIETNAMESE WERE BROUGHT INTO DISCUSSIONS AND THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST TWO WORKING GROUP MEETINGS BEFORE THIS COULD HAPPEN. THE PRESENT TIMETABLE FOR THE PREPCON WAS THEREFORE
UNACCEPTABLE.
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