TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 10

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United Kingdom Mission

37-39 rue de Vermont 1211 Geneva 20

Telex 22956

Telegrams Prodrome Geneva

Telephone 34 38 00 33 23 85

A Godson Esq

SEAD

FCO

Miss Slater

ура

Your reference

мко

243/123

Our reference UN 243/5

Date

20 December 1988

ترل

180

Dear Tony,

ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAMME (ODP) CONSULTATIONS: 15 DECEMBER 1988

1. Please refer to our telegram no. 718 and your 293. ODP participating governments held consultations on 15 December under UNHCR auspices with the Vietnamese delegation led by Assistant Foreign Minister Vu Khoan. Malaysia and Thailand also attended, for the first time. Gavin Hewitt and I represented the UK.

The

2.

Mr Vu Khoan referred to Vietnam's new policy of enlarging the scope of legal departures and to an increased outflow under ODP in 1988: departures so far this year totalled 18,815 as against 12,961 for 1987. He expected for 1988 an overall total of more than the 20,000 indicated in the December 1987 consultations. increase in illegal departures in 1988 had prompted Vietnam to talk multilaterally and bilaterally to Malaysia, the UK and Hong Kong, Philippines and Thailand to find a realistic solution on a step-by- step basis.

Now that the UNHCR/Vietnamese Memorandum of Understanding had been signed and once the assistance project for repatriation and reintegration had been started, Vietnam would accept back all those who wanted to return. Mr Vu Khoan hoped that ODP departures could be increased (two or threefold).

3.

In our statement (Annex A) we referred to the UNHCR/Vietnam and UK/Hong Kong/Vietnam negotiations for repatriation of Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong. We stressed the need to ensure that orderly arrangements were made for departure so that both the country of origin and receiving countries could process cases smoothly and adequately. Mr Vu Khoan had earlier handed over a list of 69 ODP cases cleared by the Vietnamese authorities for travel to the UK which I have sent separately to Peter Wrench.

4.

The US stressed the need for an expanded ODP (copy of statement at Annex B). Other delegations reported increased ODP departure rates for 1988, although outstanding cases still remained, some of which were of several years' standing. ODP needed further stream- lining. Several delegations (notably the Netherlands and Norway) stressed Vietnam's responsibility to readmit its citizens who did not meet the criteria for refugee status. The Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM), who attended as an observer, referred to the new ICM medical unit in Ho Chi Minh City which had screened

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