TNAG-1852-FCO40-2627-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 46

the British Trade Commission and the Consulate General:

they are therefore looking at other sites.

(V) Vietnamese Boat People

17.

The Government welcome the Committee's analysis of

this intensely difficult and sensitive problem. Since

the Committee's report was published the situation has deteriorated further;

deteriod the Hong Kong authorities are to

be congratulated on the way in which they have coped with

the crisis. As the Committee rightly state, the Hong

Kong Government had no alternative but to introduce a

screening policy in June 1988 (paragraph 5.2). It has

now been accepted by the entire international community

that all those screened out as non- refugees should

return to Vietnam. It is clear that voluntary returns

alone cannot provide a comprehensive solution to the

problem. It must be right to work for arrangements for

all those who are not refugees to be returned to Vietnam

in safety and dignity. The Government have been

negotiating with the Vietnamese for the orderly return of

those who are not refugees. No-one would be returned

unless the Government were fully satisfied that they

would not be punished for having left, and that the

Vietnamese authorities were willing to allow the

treatment of all returnees to be carefully monitored. As

the Committee have recommended, (paragraph 5.6) the

other governments with an interest Government have made thier views very clear to the United in the problemo

•

States Governmenta As the Committee have also

recommended, (paragraph 5,8) the Government have

repeatedly pressed the Chinese Government to cooperate

over the issue and they shop continue to do co