TNAG-1860-FCO40-2635-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 27

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MDHIAN 3530

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FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

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INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, HANOI

OFFICIALS' REPLIES TO THE DEBATE ON MY 1989 LEGCO ADDRESS

1. FOLLOWING ARE EXTRACTS FROM THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY'S SPEECH DELIVERED ON 8 NOVEMBER WHICH DEAL WITH THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

ISSUE-

''THE GOVERNMENT REMAINS COMMITTED TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION (CPA) AGREED IN GENEVA IN JUNE. WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE FULL AND BALANCED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CPA THAT THE

PROBLEM OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE CAN BE RESOLVED.

2. THE LACK OF CONSENSUS ON ALTERNATIVES TO VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION IN GENEVA LAST MONTH SHOULD NOT OBSCURE THE GOOD PROGRESS WHICH HAS BEEN MADE WITH OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE CPA. FOR EXAMPLE, RESETTLEMENT HAS PICKED UP WELL THIS YEAR, WITH SOME 3,400 RESETTLED SO FAR. I EXPECT THE TOTAL FOR 1989 TO BE OVER 4,000. ALTHOUGH OUR OVERALL VIETNAMESE CAMP POPULATION STANDS AT OVER 57,000, WE HAVE ONLY 13,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEE STATUS AND IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS PART OF THE CPA WILL MAKE A SATISFACTORY REDUCTION TO THIS FIGURE.

3. THE ORDERLY DEPARTURE PROGRAMME FROM VIETNAM IS ALSO GOING WELL. ABOUT 45,000 PEOPLE WILL LEAVE VIETNAM DURING 1989, A 100 PER CENT INCREASE OVER 1988. THE ODP IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT PROVIDES A

LEGITIMATE AVENUE FOR DEPARTURE AND THEREBY TAKES SOME OF THE

PRESSURE OFF FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES.

4. THIS YEAR HAS ALSO SEEN THE START OF THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION

PROGRAMME. OVER 500 PEOPLE HAVE NOW RETURNED TO VIETNAM UNDER THIS SCHEME, WHICH WAS FIRST ENGINEERED BY HONG KONG IN OUR TALKS IN HANOI IN AUGUST 1988. WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO THE VOLUNTARY PROGRAMME

AS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE CPA.

5. BUT, DESPITE THESE SUCCESSES, WE SHOULD BE UNDER NO ILLUSIONS THAT WITHOUT THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE

CPA, IT CANNOT BE A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION. WITHOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE REPATRIATION OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SCREENED OUT AS

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