TNAG-1803-FCO40-2563-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-talks-between-the-UK--Hong-Kon-1988 — Page 298

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130077 MDHOAN 5183

TO DESKBY 24010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 2478

OF 23110OZ SEPTEMBER 88

INFO PRIORITY HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, WASHINGTON, BANGKOK INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR

83)(832) нко 24318

MIPT: YOUR TELNOS 3548-9: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: SECOND ROUND OF

TALKS IN HANOI: REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE

ANY

1. INITIAL THINKING CAT OFFICIAL LEVEL) ON AN EVENTUAL ASSISTANCE PACKAGE IS BASED ON THE UNHCR PAPER PUT TO ICG IN OTTAWA IN APRIL ALTHOUGH WE THINK THE SCALE OF THE PACKAGE THEY ENVISAGED AT THAT TIME WAS UNNECESSARILY AMBITIOUS. AS WE SEE IT, ASSISTANCE PACKAGE WOULD NEED TO COMPRISE TWO MAIN COMPONENTS ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUAL RETURNEES AND QUOTE PROJECTS UNQUOTE ASSISTANCE. WE HAVE YET TO GAUGE VIETNAMESE EXPECTATIONS IN THIS

ON THE FACE OF IT, ARRANGEMENTS FOR ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUAL REFUGEES WILL PROBABLY BE DETERMINED BY REFERENCE TO STANDARD PROVISIONS AND SHOULD BE RELATIVELY SIMPLE TO IMPLEMENT, ONCE AGREED. QUOTE PROJECTS UNQUOTE ASSISTANCE (PROJECTS WHICH WOULD BENEFIT RETURNEES' COMMUNITIES) WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED ON A PROJECT BY PROJECT BASIS BY UNHCR IN CONSULTATION WITH OURSELVES AND OTHERS IT MIGHT BE THAT QUOTE PROJECT

AREA.

.

UNQUOTE ASSISTANCE WOULD COME ON STREAM AT A LATER STAGE, ONCE ALL PARTIES WERE SATISFIED THAT A PROGRAMME OF SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS OF RETURNS WAS WORKING WELL.

2. WE ARE FIRMLY OF THE VIEW THAT WE SHOULD NOT OFFER THE VIETNAMESE THE PROSPECT OF AN ASSISTANCE PACKAGE ON THE ABOVE LINE FOR THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE EMERGED SO FAR. WE WOULD EXPECT MINISTERS TO BE VERY RELUCTANT TO AGREE TO ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PACKAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF A MODEST VOLUNTEER RETURN PROGRAMME, EVEN THROUGH UNHCR CHANNELS. THEY WOULD WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT SUCH A PACKAGE WOULD BE PART OF AGREEMENT ON A BROADER

REPATRIATION SCHEME.

3

OUR PRESENT THINKING IS THAT IT WOULD BE FOR UNHCR (PRESSED BY US AS APPROPRIATE) TO TAKE THE LEAD AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME ON SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE ON ANY SUCH PACKAGE. INDEED UNHCR WERE TASKED AT THE APRIL ICG TO INITIATE SUCH DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE. THEY MAY NOW TAKE THIS FURTHER THROUGH DE MELLO'S VISIT TO HANOI.

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SUCH A PACKAGE WOULD TAKE TIME TO DEVELOP. BUT THIS NEED NOT

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