TNAG-1906-FCO40-2710-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 150

TAGO (7)

operation.

21. One other point to bear in mind is that our agreement with the Vietnamese only covers access to repatriates by UNHCR and

representatives of the British Government.

If we are to pursue

alternative monitoring options, we would need to secure Vietnamese

agreement to allow access to whoever we proposed should undertake

the work.

Recommendations

22. I recommend that we should proceed as follows:

a)

b)

c)

continued pressure on the Americans to persuade UNHCR to

accept a monitoring role over non-volunteers.

possible direct action with UNHCR.

an approach to NGOs:

1.

To ask for advice and assistance over monitoring.

d)

2.

3.

To suggest they might try to persuade UNHCR to accept a

monitoring role.

To recommend possible independent consultants on whose

help we could call.

A submission with Finance Department/RMD to secure agreement in principle that finance should be made quickly available

to cover a possible monitoring operation, including

provision for increasing the staff of the Embassy in Hanoi.

23. Not touched on in this paper is the possibility of a role for NGOS in helping with counselling in Hong Kong. This can be considered separately; but any approach to NGOs should be on the combined subjects of monitoring and counselling.

C C D Haswell

Hong Kong Department

9 August 1989

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