TNAG-1908-FCO40-2712-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 201

CONFIDENTIAL

315

167713

MDHIAN 4021

UNCLASSIFIED

FM UKMIS GENEVA

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 695

HKB 243 la

OF 101522Z NOVEMBER 1989

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS NEW YORK

TOP COPY Q DIS ?

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, HANOI, WASHINGTON

(366)

YOUR TELNO 780 TO UKMIS NEW YORK: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: UNHCR MONITORING

.

1 I RECOMMEND THAT WE SHOULD TREAT WITH CAUTION THE REPORTED REMARK BY VIEIRA DE MELLO THAT HINTEREGGER, AS ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER, WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO OBSTRUCT A PROPOSAL BY HIS SENIOR OFFICIALS THAT UNHCR SHOULD UNDERTAKE MONITORING OF NON-VOLUNTARY RETURNEES TO

VIETNAM.

2. HINTEREGGER'S INEXPERIENCE OF REFUGEE ISSUES AND NATURAL CAUTION WILL MAKE HIM TREAD WARILY IN SUCH AN OBVIOUSLY SENSITIVE AREA. HE KNOWS THAT HE WILL ONLY BE SERVING FOR A LIMITED PERIOD AS CARETAKER, AND TOLD ME RECENTLY THAT HIS MAIN PREOCCUPATION IS TO COPE WITH THE IMMEDIATE CASH CRISIS UNHCR ONLY HAS FUNDS FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AT PRESENT. ANY DECISIONS (PARTICULARLY CONTROVERSIAL

ONES) IN OTHER AREAS ARE LIKELY TO BE POSTPONED UNTIL THE NEW HIGH

COMMISSIONER IS APPOINTED.

3. THIS OF COURSE REINFORCES THE NEED TO BRIEF PEREZ DE CUELLAR

PERSONALLY. MR SAINSBURY WILL ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE THE ISSUE WITH HINTEREGGER (OR THE NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER) WHEN HE

VISITS GENEVA ON 30 NOVEMBER.

4. HINTEREGGER WILL BE IN NEW YORK FROM THE EVENING OF 14 NOVEMBER

TO THE EVENING OF 20 NOVEMBER.

SANKEY

YYYY

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