TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 318

CONFIDENTIAL

103571

MDHIAN 1453

FENCES, DESPITE CURRENT PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG. HE WAS NOT CONVINCED THAT HONG KONG COULD NOT ACCEPT MORE ASYLUM-SEEKERS. THE NUMBERS NOW WERE NOT AT THE 1979 LEVEL. HE UNDERSTOOD, HOWEVER, THAT OMELCO WERE BRINGING CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE ON THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES AND LONDON, IN THE AFTERMATH OF EVENTS IN CHINA. THE WHOLE PROBLEM, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE ''SORTED OUT CALMLY'' HE TOLD HOCKE THAT, IF IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, HE COULD MAKE A DEMARCHE TO THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES EITHER IN NEW YORK OR IN LONDON.

4. WHEN HEWITT SAW THE HIGH COMMISSIOER SOCIALLY ON 6 JULY, HOCKE CONFIRMED THAT HE HAD SPOKEN TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG AND THE UK/HONG KONG BILATERAL DISCUSSION WITH VIETNAM. IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM HOCKE ON WHERE THINGS NOW STOOD, HEWITT SAID THAT DISCUSSIONS IN HANOI IN LATE JUNE HAD BEEN FOLLOWED UP BY THACH'S VISIT TO LONDON ON 28/29 JUNE, WHERE THERE HAD BEEN SOME PROGRESS. FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WERE ENVISAGED WITH HANOI AND MORE WORK HAD TO BE DONE. HE ASKED THE HIGH COMMISSIONER ABOUT UNHCR RELUCTANCE TO ASSOCIATE ITSELF IN MONITORING AND REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR RETURNEES UNDER ANY BILATERAL ARRANGEMENTS THAT MIGHT FINALLY BE AGREED WITH VIETNAM. UNHCR WOULD HAVE ACCESS IN HONG KONG TO ALL THOSE SCREENED-OUT TO PERSUADE THEM TO VOLUNTER TO RETURN TO VIETNAM. IT SEEMED OBVIOUS, HOWEVER, THAT AS A RESULT OF PEER GROUP PRESSURE, SOME VBPS WOULD REFUSE TO PUT THEIR SIGNATURE TO UNHCR'S VOLUNTARY RETURN FORM, WHILE NOT REFUSING THE CONCEPT OF RETURN TO VIETNAM. SINCE THE SCREENED-OUT WERE NOT REFUGEES, THE VOLUNTARY RETURN FORM SEEMED IN ANY CASE A BIT OF A LUXURY, ALTHOUGH IT GAVE RESPECTABILITY TO UNHCR'S INVOLEMENT IN THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME. THE LACK OF A SIGNATURE ON A FORM SEEMED A SMALL DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN ''VOLUNTARY'' RETURN AND WILINGNESS TO RETURN TO VIETNAM. NEITHER THE UK NOR HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS WERE CONTEMPLATING FORCIBLE RETURN OF VBPS. IF WE MADE PROGRESS WITH HANOI, THOSE WHO WENT BACK WOULD BE ''WILLING'' RETURNEES. WE COULD NOT ACCEPT THAT ANY BILATERAL ARRANGEMENT WAS UNDERMINING THE CPA ARRANGEMENTS. THEY WERE INTENDED TO REINFORCE THE MULTILATERAL CPA ARRANGEMENTS IN AN ATTEMPT TO ENSURE AS MANY NON-REFUGEES AS POSSIBLE WENT BACK TO VIETNAM. ANY BILATERAL ARRANGMENT FINALLY AGREED WITH VIETNAM WOULD BE BASED ON WILLINGNESS, NONPUNISHMENT AND REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE. THESE WERE, IN OUR VIEW, EXACTLY THE SAME TERMS THAT THE CPA ENVISAGED.

5. HOCKE STOOD HIS GROUND ON THE LINES OF OUR TELNO 427. HE DID, HOWEVER, CONCEDE THAT THERE WAS LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WE MIGHT BE ENVISAGING AND UNHCR'S OWN VOLUNTARY RETURN RPOGRAMME. MAXIMUM TIME, HOWEVER, HAD TO BE GIVEN TO ENSURE THAT VOLUNTEERS

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