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MONITORING
6. FROM OUR RECENT CONTACTS WITH UNHCR THERE SEEMS TO BE A GLIMMER OF LIGHT ON THE QUESTION OF POST-RETURN MONITORING ALTHOUGH WE DOUBT IF IT WILL PRACTABLE TO GET THIS IN PLACE FOR THE FIRST GROUP. IF THE TIMETABLE SUGGESTED ABOVE IS ACCEPTABLE, WE RECOMMEND A NEW EFFORT WITH UNHCR ON THE MONITORING ISSUE. SEEN FROM HERE, THE LINE TO TAKE WOULD BE TO BASE OUR CASE ON THE LAOTIAN PRECEDENT. WE NEED TO REASSURE UNHCR THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH THE ORDERLY RETURN OF NON- REFUGEES AFTER SCREENING ON THE SAME BASIS AS THE LAOTIAN PROGRAMME. THE PROCEDURES TO BE USED DURING THE OPERATION ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THOSE IN USE WITH LAOTIANS. (THEY ARE ALSO THE SAME AS THOSE USED IN HONG KONG FOR THE RETURN OF CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND ECVIIS TO CHINA.) THESE PROCEDURES ARE ENTIRELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH ESTABLISHED İNTERNATIONAL PRACTICE. A UNHCR ROLE IN POST-RETURN MONITORING
WOULD ALSO ACCORD WITH THE CONCLUSIONS REACHED AT SC2.
7. IF WE ARE UNABLE TO PERSUADE UNHCR TO UNDERTAKE THIS ROLE
IN TIME FOR THE RETURN OF THE FIRST GROUP WE WILL HAVE
TO RELY ON THE RESOURCES OF THE HANOI EMBASSY FOR MONITORING. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AN EX-HKG OFFICIAL WHO COULD BE DEPLOYED TO HANOI TO ASSIST WITH MONITORING. WE SUSPECT HOWEVER
THAT THIS WILL NOT BE NECESSARY FOR THE RETURN OF THE FIRST GROUP. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR HANOI'S ADVICE ON WHETHER
THEY WOULD FIND THE ATTACHMENT OF SUCH AN OFFICIAL USEFUL AND
IF SO WHEN THEY WOULD LIKE HIM TO BE AVAILABLE.
8. ONCE WE HAVE THE AGENDA FOR SC3 WE WILL BE MAKING RECOMM- ENDATIONS ON THE APPROACH TO BE TAKEN AT SC3 THIS WILL DEPEND TO A LARGE EXTEND ON THE POSITION THEN REACHED ON THE REPATRIATION PROGRAMME.
9.
I HAVE GIVEN THIS TELEGRAM S VERY RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION HERE.IT IS CLEARLY MOST IMPORTANT THAT IF WE ARE TO MANAGE THE
SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROGRAMME IN THE RUN-UPS TO
SC3, THAT NEWS OF THE FIRST RETURN EXERCISE DOES NOT/NOT LEAK.
WILSON
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