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It was clear that the Vietnamese would not accept any returns without some form of reintegration assistance. They were frank about the political difficulties they face, including the reluctance of communities to take back people who had left illegally; the lack of facilities; and the general poverty of the country. A properly organised repatriation programme could encourage more to ask to return. Their ideas on reintegration assistance were on a modest scale, in line with UNHCR precedents elsewhere. UNHCR have discussed a package on these lines with the Vietnamese and will put proposals to them shortly. The Vietnamese agreed that returnees should be humanely treated and subject to monitoring on return. UNHCR's proposals will cover these aspects.
The Foreign Secretary said in his minute of 2 September to the Prime Minister that we could face criticism when the time came to implement a policy of returning boat people to Vietnam. The Daily Mail has taken up the cudgels and the Foreign Secretary has therefore sent an article to them for publication. In Hong Kong the outcome has been widely welcomed. But we could face further criticism here.
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Your letter of 5 September raised the question of a possible endowment scheme to encourage other countries to take economic migrants from Hong Kong. The Foreign Secretary thinks that, if Vietnam can be persuaded to take its own economic migrants back in accordance with normal international practice
are now making some headway in this this must be preferable to creating yet another displaced community in a third country. Financial considerations are not a major factor for the developed resettlement countries. They see the boat people problem primarily as a refugee/humanitarian issue, and would not respond to financial incentives to take economic migrants. Governments in less developed countries, in the unlikely event that they were interested, could be expected to exact a very high price for participating in any such scheme. The Foreign Secretary therefore believes we should continue to concentrate our efforts on establishing suitable arrangements for the return to Vietnam of all its economic migrants.
I am copying this letter to Philip Mawer (Home Office).
Yours ere возв
(R N Peirce) Private Secretary
C D Powell Esq
10 Downing Street
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