CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY HANOI
TELNO 258
OF 26120OZ JULY 89
AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA
CONFIDENTIAL
HKCB
243 19
こ
165
156116
MDLOAN 5812
TOP COPY Q DINE
7
YOUR TELNO 364: VBP: REPATRIATION MONITORING
1. HEAD OF SEAD HAS DISCUSSED THIS WITH HMA HANOI ON 19 JULY WHO AGREES THAT, UNLESS UNHCR AND/OR AN NGO AGREE SOON TO TAKE ON THE MONITORING FUNCTION AND THE NUMBERS OF NON-VOLUNTARY RETURNEES REMAINS LOW, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO ADD AN EXTRA MEMBER OF STAFF TO THE EMBASSY. HONG KONG'S OFFER OF AN ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBER CHONG KONG TELNO 2395 TO FCO) IS MOST WELCOME AND WE MIGHT WISH TO TAKE IT UP. IT MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO REARRANGE THE EMBASSY OFFICES TO ACCOMMODATE THE HONG KONG NOMINEE OUTSIDE THE CONFIDENTIAL ZONE, PERHAPS BY PUTTING HIM/HER IN MISS FOXWELL'S FORMER OFFICE AT THE BACK OF THE BUILDING. THIS SHOULD HOWEVER BE NO PROBLEM. IN THE MEANTIME HMA AGREES THAT OF THE PRESENT STAFF, LOUISE FOXWELL IS BEST PLACED TO TAKE ON THE MONITORING TASK.
2. WE SUGGEST THAT WE TAKE A DECISION ON REINFORCEMENT AFTER SC2 IN BANGKOK NEXT WEEK WHEN IT SHOULD BE CLEARER WHETHER OR WHEN WE MIGHT EXPECT UNHCR TO PLAY BALL OVER MONITORING. HONG KONG'S ESTIMATE OF THE RATE OF BUILD UP OF NON-VOLUNTARY RETURNEES AFTER THE FIRST BATCH IS ALSO RELEVANT.
IF
3. WE AGREE THAT IT IS HIGHLY DESIRABLE TO INVOLVE AN NGO, POSSIBLE, IN MONITORING RETURNEES. THERE IS BOUND TO BE MEDIA AND OTHER SCEPTICISM ABOUT THE IMPARTIALITY OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY ALONE MONITORING AND WE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN A POSITION TO COUNTER IT. HMA HANOI MENTIONED A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE ORGANISATIONS. OXFAM HAVE HAD A STAFF MEMBER (BEN FAWCETT) IN TRAINING FOR SOME TIME TO START WORK IN THE NORTH OF VIETNAM SOON. HE THINKS THAT HE MAY NOW HAVE STARTED. SAVE THE CHILDREN ARE EXPECTED TO EXTEND THEIR OPERATIONS TO VIETNAM. THERE IS ALSO AN IRISH CATHOLIC ORGANISATION, CIDSE, WHICH MIGHT BE WILLING TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN THE FATE OF THE RETURNEES.
4 =
EVEN IF WE COULD COUNT ON UNHCR AGREEMENT TO BECOME INVOLVED IN MONITORING AFTER SC2'S FIRST REVIEW IN OCTOBER, WE AGREE WITH HONG KONG THAT, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE RETURN OF THE FIRST BATCH, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WE HAVE GIVEN SERIOUS THOUGHT TO THIS QUESTION AND ARE PREPARED TO DEVOTE
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