TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 377

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{

FM UKMIS GENEVA

TO DESKBY 04080OZ FCO

TELNO 420

OF 040629Z JULY 1989

TOP COPY

Q DIST ?

37

070666 MDHIAN 1800

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, HANOI, WASHINGTON, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR

YOUR TELNO 227 TO HANOI AND HONG KONG TELNO 2176: VIETNAMESE BOAT

PEOPLE: REPATRIATION

1. WE FACE A DILEMMA IN SEEKING UNHCR'S AGREEMENT, AT THIS STAGE, TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MONITORING NON-VOLUNTEERS ON RETURN TO VIETNAM AND CHANNELLING REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR NON-VOLUNTEERS THROUGH UNHCR. VIEIRA DE MELLO (UNHCR) BELIEVES THAT HOCKE WILL EVENTUALLY AGREE TO ASSUME THESE TASKS (THE SEED WAS WELL PLANTED WHEN SIR D WILSON MET HOCKE IN THE MARGINS OF THE ICIR), BUT A PREMATURE APPROACH RISKS A NEGATIVE RESPONSE.

2. HOCKE HAS SHOWN HIS SENSITIVITY OVER EARLY RESORT TO NON-VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION. IN HIS VIEW, THE ICIR ENDORSED THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE'S DECISION TO POSTPONE OTHER MEASURES UNTIL

OCTOBER THIS YEAR. NON-VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION UNDER BILATERAL ARRANGEMENTS COULD, THEREFORE, BE INTERPRETED AS SERIOUSLY UNDERMINING THE CPA. (FOR THIS REASON WE WELCOME HONG KONG'S AGREEMENT TO GIVE ACCESS TO UNHCR TO THOSE WHOSE APPEALS HAVE BEEN

FINALLY REJECTED CHONG KONG TELNO 2184). TO DENY ACCESS WOULD HAVE SUGGESTED TO UNHCR THAT WE WERE GIVING GREATER PRIORITY TO THE BILATERAL NON-VOLUNTARY PROGRAMME THAN TO THE CPA ARRANGEMENTS).

3. AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, WE HAVE SOUGHT VIEIRA DE MELLO'S VIEWS ON THE WAY AHEAD. HE AGREES THAT WE SHOULD NOT PROVOKE HOCKE INTO A NEGATIVE RESPONSE BY A PREMATURE APPROACH, AS IT WOULD COLOUR LATER REACTIONS. HE HAS AGREED, HOWEVER, TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE INFORMALLY WITH HOCKE ON THE FOLLOWING LINES, WITHOUT INDICATING THAT HE WAS TAKING SOUNDINGS ON OUR BEHALF. FIRST, HE WOULD ARGUE THAT UNHCR ALONE HAS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED PROTECTION ROLE. WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF RETURN, UNHCR SHOULD THEREFORE BE INVOLVED IN MONITORING CONDITIONS OF RETURNEES IN VIETNAM. SECOND, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VOLUNTEERS AND NON VOLUNTEERS WOULD BE MINIMAL AND AMOUNT TO LITTLE MORE THAN A TECNICALITY (REFUSAL TO SIGN UNHCR'S VOLUNTARY RETURN FORM), SINCE UK/HONG KONG HAD NO INTENTION OF RESORTING TO FORCIBLE RETURN. IT WOULD NOT BE IN UNHCR'S INTEREST TO INTRODUCE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN THOSE RETURNING UNDER UNHCR'S

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