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its application, a health check, the paper work for the issue of family registration books by the local security authorities and for any instructions necessary from Ministry level to local officials regarding health, accommodation, etc, and finalising transport arrangements. It was explained to us that it was the responsibility of the local security officials to safeguard the repatriate's house during his absence if he had simply abandoned it. If he had no accommodation to return to it would be the responsibility of the local People's Committee to find some, or funus would be supplied by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs for the construction of a new house. The People's Committee would also be responsible for arranging employment. Those currently at the Centre seemed mainly to be fishermen expecting to return to their previous work.
The repatriates were housed in two identical buildings each about 50 feet long, with a porticoed verandah running along the front off which opened eight identical rooms, with a window at the back. Each room contained four iron double bunks (one up, one down). The Centre is located in one compound of a larger complex, another part of which contains an agricultural school. The outlook from the buildings is across back gardens and banana trees, and, with the sun shining and a breath of breeze, struck me as rather pleasant. There is a concrete water trough in front of each building, filled from pipes, for washing. Behind are small separate latrines for men and women: noisome, redolent, quite local standard.
Set back and to the left in a separate building is a clinic which is said to be staffed by two doctors available 24 hours a day. The doctor on duty said that about 30 of the current intake of 121 had needed treatment, mainly for scabies and other skin problems, respiratory complaints and fevers.
Next to the clinic was the canteen where a regular staff of 14 prepares meals for the intake of repatriates and the 30 staff members of the Centre. The canteen manager explained with pride and enthusiasm that he had a budget of 5,000 dong per head per day, that he sent his staff out widely into the surrounding country to buy at best prices, that his budget enabled him to put on the usual breakfast of noodle soup, and two main dishes (eg chicken, beef) with rice and vegetables at both lunch and supper. He was intent to vary the menus, and pleased with the appetites of the repatriates who expressed particular appreciation of local watercresses, missing from their diet in Hong Kong.
C.
FOLLOW-UP HOME VISITS
I also accompanied the UNHCR people on four follow-up visits to repatriates who had returned on earlier flights and who had already received one previous monitoring visit by UNHCR. The arrangements made were unfortunately distinctly unsatisfactory. The UNHCR had initially wanted to pick names at random and drop in without previous arrangements. They had then chosen a list of names. The Vietnamese had then claimed it was impossible to set up the /visits
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