TNAG-1908-FCO40-2712-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 187

SECRET

011 4

MDHIAN 528

CONSIDERS TO BE A REFUGEE.

PARAGRAPH 4. WE SHOULD PERHAPS BE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT THE NUMBERS OF NORTHERNERS I.E. 90 PER CENT RATHER THAN MOST.

PARAGRAPH 7. THE POINT ABOUT UNHCR MONITORING WILL HAVE TO BE

AMENDED UNLESS THERE IS A SUDDEN CHANGE OF HEART IN GENEVA. THE

SAME POINT APPLIES TO THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES MENTIONED.

THE TENTH LINE OF THIS PARAGRAPH MIGHT CREATE DIFFICULTIES.

THE VIETNAMESE HAVE SAID THAT THEY CANNOT WAIVE THE PROVISIONS

OF THEIR CRIMINAL CODE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES BEFORE LEAVING. THIS SENTENCE MIGHT BE AMENDED TO READ QUOTE NO BOAT

PEOPLE WOULD BE RETURNED TO VIETNAM IF WE WERE NOT SATISFIED

THAT THEY WILL BE TREATED HUMANELY. UNQUOTE.

4.

SOME OF THE ABOVE AMENDMENTS APPLY EQUALLY TO THE TEXT OF THE BULL POINTS TO BE USED WITH THE PRESS. IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS MIGHT BE MADE.

www

(I) IT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO SET THE ISSUE IN ITS FULL HISTORICAL

PERSPECTIVE. THE POINT IS THAT FROM 1975 1989 THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DECIDED TO EXEMPT VIETNAMESE ASYLUM SEEKERS FROM THE NORMAL INTERNATIONAL PROCEDURES I.E. SCREENING. THEY WERE GIVEN

REFUGEE STATUS AUTOMATICALLY. IN 1989 THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DECIDED THAT THIS PRACTICE WAS NO LONGER JUSTIFIED AND THAT VIETNAMESE ASYLUM SEEKERS SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO STANDARD

INTERNATIONAL PROCEDURES.

(II) IN PARAGRAPH 7 WE COULD USEFULLY MAKE A REFERENCE TO

THE INDEPENDENT APPEAL BODY.

(III) THE WORDS QUOTE FOR HAVING LEFT CLANDESTINELY UNQUOTE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE END OF THE SECOND SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 10.

FORD

YYYY

PAGE 2 SECRET