TNAG-1803-FCO40-2563-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-talks-between-the-UK--Hong-Kon-1988 — Page 224

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 3711

OF 050945Z OCTOBER 88

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, BANGKOK

CONFIDENTIAL

48

інко

-50CT1.

HKD 243|1s

165721

MDHIAN 6409

BANGKOK PLEASE PASS TO HMA HANOI

Adoo

MY 3RD IPT : FIRST RETURNEES: MATERIAL

1 THE POSITION ON APPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER REPATRIATION FROM VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE (AS AT 4 OCTOBER) IS AS FOLLOWS:

*

A.

A TOTAL OF 311 APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY UNHCR:

73 APPLICATION HAD BEEN VALIDATED BY UNHCR AND WERE PASSED

ON TO UNHCR HANOI:

B.

19 APPLICANTS HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED PENDING DISPATCH TO UNHCR HANOI.

C.

WE HOPE TO BRING WITH US A LIST OF ABOUT 100 NAMES WHICH HAS BEEN

VALIDATED OR INTERVIEWED BY UNHCR FOR THE VIETNAMESE.

2. PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION:

ALL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED ARE PASSED ON TO THE UNHCR. THE UNHCR INTERVIEWS ALL APPLICANTS AND ASKS THEM TO SIGN A DECLARATION THAT

THEY ARE RETURNING VOLUNTARILY. THE APPLICATIONS ARE THEN PASSED ON TO UNHCR HANOI OFFICE VIA UNHCR BANGKOK OFFICE (COPIED TO UNHCR HEADQUARTERS IN GENEVA) FOR SUBMISSION TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT.

3

AS AND WHEN APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED BY THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT, UNHCR (HONG KONG) REQUESTS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC) TO ISSUE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND THE INTER- NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR MIGRATION (ICM) TO MAKE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS. THE RETURNEES TRAVEL BACK TO VIETNAM ON LAISSEZ-PASSER DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY THE VIETNAMESE EMBASSY IN BANGKOK.

4. EXPERIENCE INDICATES THAT THE UNHCR REQUIRES 3 4 WEEKS TO PROCESS AN APPLICATION AND THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE

1

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CONFIDENTIAL