TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 344

CONFIDENTIAL

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076447

MDHOAN 4466

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HANOI

TELNO 234

OF 05160OZ JULY 89

AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS

4+2

HKB 2+3/S

GENEVA

YOUR TELNO 339: VBP REPATRIATION

enter

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

Won

1 THE IN-COUNTRY COSTS TABULATED BY CHUONG ARE SIGNIFICANTLY

HIGHER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED. IN PARTICULAR THE ELEMENT FOR VIETNAMESE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS (US DOLLARS 140) SEEMS ON THE

HIGH SIDE. WE ALSO NOTE THAT CHUONG CONCEDED THAT EXPENDITURE FOR INDIVIDUAL CASES WILL VARY. WE MUST BE CAREFUL TO KEEP WITHIN THE OVERALL CEILING OF FUNDS AUTHORISED BY THE TREASURY AND WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR HONG KONG'S SUGGESTIONS ON HOW SAVINGS MIGHT BE MADE AT THEIR END OF THE OPERATION.

2. OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE REMAINS, HOWEVER, THE RETURN OF THE FIRST BATCH OF NON-VOLUNTEERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE ALSO

RECOGNISE THAT THE COSTS INVOLVED MAY DECREASE ONCE A REGULAR REPATRIATION PROGRAMME IS IN PLACE AND THE GROUPS BECOME LARGER. ON THIS BASIS, AND SUBJECT TO THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG, YOU MAY OFFER UP TO US DOLLARS 500 PER PERSON, INCLUDING (REPEAT INCLUDING) VIETNAMESE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. YOU HAVE DISCRETION TO INCREASE THIS TO US DOLLAR 600 IF NECESSARY TO CIRCUMVENT FURTHER DELAYS IN GETTING THIS PROGRAMME OFF THE GROUND. IN PUTTING FORWARD OUR REVISED PROPOSAL YOU SHOULD

EMPHASISE THAT THIS IS VERY MUCH AN AD HOC ARRANGEMENT AND WILL BE REVIEWED ONCE A REGULAR PROGRAMME IS UNDER WAY. WE ALSO

REGARD THE US DOLLARS 500 AS A CEILING AND NOT A TARGET. YOU SHOULD STRESS THAT WE WISH TO KEEP THE ARRANGEMENTS AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE AND THEREFORE HOPE THAT THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT'S EXPENDITURE ON ADMINISTRATION CAN BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM. WE ALSO

ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO THEIR PRODUCING DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF EXPENDITURE ON THE PROGRAMME AS A WHOLE.

HOWE

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