TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 101

CONFIDENTIAL

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2504

OF 26050OZ JULY 89

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK

167

154070

AN 4613

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

T

OUR TELNO 2436: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION

THE TEAM OF VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS LEFT HONG KONG FOR BANGKOK ON 25 JULY, ONE DAY EARLIER THAN PLANNED. MR DANG VAN ANH, LEADER OF THE TEAM, TOLD US THAT THEY INTENDED TO STAY OVERNIGHT IN BANGKOK, AND THAT HE WOULD BE REPORTING TO MR LE THO.

2. THE TEAM HAVE INTERVIEWED A TOTAL OF 150 VOLUNTEERS, AND HAVE ISSUED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS TO 78 PEOPLE. THE REMAINING 72 PEOPLE WERE INTERVIEWED ON A PROVISIONAL BASIS BECAUSE THEIR APPLICATIONS HAD NOT BEEN PROCESSED BY THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES. THEIR RETURN WILL THEREFORE BE SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION AT A LATER DATE.

3. INITIALLY, MR DANG VAN ANH WAS RELUCTANT TO INTERVIEW VOLUNTEERS WHOSE NAMES WERE NOT ON THE LIST OF 140 NAMES THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM. HE ONLY AGREED TO GO BEYOND THE LIST AFTER INTENSE LOBBYING BY VAN LEEUWEN, UNHCR CHARGE DE MISSION IN HONG KONG.

4. WE HAVE PROPOSED TO MR ANH THAT WE AIM FOR THE RETURN OF THE NEXT GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS ON 17 AUGUST. WE HAVE AN OPTION FOR A CHARTER FLIGHT THAT DAY USING A DRAGONAIR BOEING 737. MR ANH UNDERTOOK TO REPORT OUR PROPOSAL BUT SAID THAT HE SAW NO OBJECTION IN PRINCIPLE TO THIS DATE. WE SUGGEST THAT HANOI FOLLOW UP THIS PROPOSAL AND ALSO PRESS THE VIETNAMESE TO CLEAR AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OF THE NAMES ON THE PROVISIONAL LIST.

5. MR ANH WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT THE FACT THAT NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE ON HIS LIST OF 140 NAMES WERE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW EVEN THOUGH THE FULL LIST HAD BEEN PASSED TO UNHCR IN ADVANCE OF HIS VISIT TO HONG KONG. APPARENTLY UNHCR HANOI ONLY PASSED A LIST OF 62 NAMES TO THEIR COLLEAGUES IN HONG KONG. IT IS CLEARLY ESSENTIAL THAT UNHCR PROVIDE A FULL LIST OF THOSE PEOPLE TO BE INTERVIEWED WELL IN ADVANCE PERHAPS UKMIS GENEVA COULD BE ASKED TO STRESS THE NEED FOR IMPROVED CO-ORDINATION AND PREPARATION FOR FUTURE VISITS BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS.

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