TNAG-1903-FCO40-2705-Hong-Kong-cabinet-meetings-on-Vietnamese-refugees-1990 — Page 48

CONFIDENTIAL

humane treatment of returnees and monitoring. We have also agreed the conditions, including reintegration assistance, for the first group to be returned under the agreement. The Vietnamese have resisted the idea of "forcible" repatriation, but they are prepared to go along with non-voluntary repatriation, provided that it can be managed quietly.

7. The Hong Kong authorities have identified 140 individuals as

candidates for the first batch of non-volunteers. The aim is to

achieve a group of about 50 people who, whilst not actively volunteering, would acquiesce in their return without the need for physical coercion. But the Hong Kong authorities cannot be sure that repatriation would be manageable if the use of even minimal force is explicitly ruled out: they therefore seek authority from us

to use minimal force if necessary.

ATTITUDE OF THE UNITED STATES AND UNHCR

8.

Throughout the summer we have made a major effort to persuade the United States and the UNHCR to accept the logic of the screening programme and to signal their acquiescence in, if not support for, a comprehensive programme of mandatory repatriation. But we have met with strong resistance, both from the American government and the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We want the

cooperation of the UNHCR, who are best placed to serve as a channel for reintegration assistance and to take on the role of monitoring

all returnees in Vietnam. But they argue that, at a time when the

number of volunteers is increasing, it would be premature to adopt

alternatives to the voluntary programme.

MANDATORY REPATRIATION

9.

We have examined the prospects for voluntary repatriation, and

looked at other policy options. These are set out in the Annex to this paper.

But we have concluded that for those screened out the

only solution is repatriation to Vietnam. It is clear that, sooner

or later, we shall have to resort to mandatory repatriation. That is implicitly accepted by the international community as a whole, although it is unlikely that the international (or domestic) climate

3

CONNTAG Man T AL