TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 446

CONFIDENTIAL

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 557

OF 03170OZ MARCH 89

AND TO IMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA

HKB 243/9

001222

MDHOAN 6460

KUALA LUMPUR: PLEASE PASS TO COLVIN, SEAD, VISITING

YOUR TELNO 636: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: REPATRIATION

1. WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR THESE THOUGHTS. AS YOU WILL APPRECIATE, WE TOO HAVE BEEN GIVING CAREFUL CONSIDERATION TO THE LINE WE SHOULD BE TAKING IN PUBLIC ON REPATRIATION, GIVEN THE INTEREST AND SENSITIVITIES WHICH THIS SUBJECT GENERATES IN THIS

COUNTRY.

2. WE TOO ARE MOST ANXIOUS TO ENSURE THAT WE ALL KEEP IN STEP OVER WHAT WE SAY IN PUBLIC ABOUT REPATRIATION AND THAT THE MEDIA

HAVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLOIT ANY APPARENT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN US. WE WELL UNDERSTAND THE CLIMATE OF OPINION ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN HONG KONG AND THE GROWING CONCERN ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A MAJOR NEW INFLUX OF BOAT PEOPLE THIS SEASON. BUT WE ARE ALSO VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO PROTECT THE FRAGILE INTERNATIONAL

CONSENSUS ON WHICH ACCEPTANCE OF THE SCREENING POLICY IS BASED. 3. WE ARE ALL AGREED THAT ALL THOSE SCREENED OUT AS NON-REFUGEES MUST RETURN TO VIETNAM AND THAT IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS WE SHOULD AIM TO SECURE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PRINCIPLE

BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WE ACCEPT THAT THIS MUST INVOLVE MANDATORY REPATRIATION AT SOME STAGE. BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION BECAUSE: THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME IS BARELY UNDER WAY AND IT IS ARGUABLY TOO

EARLY TO TAKE FINAL JUDGEMENT ON HOW SUCCESSFUL IT WILL BE: UNHCR HAVE REITERATED (UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 114) THAT THEY WILL NOT

BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PROGRAMME WHICH MIGHT INCLUDE INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION: AND THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HAVE YET TO ACCEPT EXPLICITLY ANYTHING OTHER THAN VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION (NOTWITHSTANDING THEIR RECOGNITION OF THE NEED FOR QUOTE COMPREHENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS UNQUOTE).

4.

IN

AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, WE THINK IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE, ANY PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON THE SUBJECT OF REPATRIATION, TO PLACE MUCH GREATER EMPHASIS ON THE START WE ARE MAKING WITH VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, WHILE MAKING CLEAR THAT THE LOGIC OF THE SITUATION

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CONFIDENTIAL