TNAG-1910-FCO40-2714-Financial-assistance-from-the-UK-Government-to-Vietnamese-re-1989 — Page 88

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bilateral repatriation programme from HMG and Hong Kong

Government funds. The Governor has told us that if we

would be willing to provide 50% of any repatriation costs,

he judges that an approach to the Finance Committee in

Hong Kong for a matching 50% would be successful.

4.

There is already a scheme for those who volunteer to

return to Vietnam, administered by the UNHCR, which

provides roughly US$1,000 per person for travel costs,

clothing and essential equipment. This is being funded

by a UNHCR appeal to which a number of countries, notably

Japan, responded. I would like to propose to the

Vietnamese that as far as possible we use this scheme as

a model.

'!

5.

The total cost of such a programme is difficult to

estimate because it depends on how many Vietnamese

volunteer (and become a charge on the international

community through UNHCR) and how many are returned under

our scheme. The worst case would be to assume that all

returnees were non-voluntary in which case the total

figure would be in the region of US$30 million, at

US$1,000 per person for the roughly 30,000 arrivals in

Hong Kong since screening was introduced last June, the

majority of which are likely to be screened out. Split

with the Government of Hong Kong, this would involve a

UK contribution of US$15 million for the duration of the

repatriation programme. The rate of disbursement would depend on the rate at which people were screened out and

sent home. This could rise to 400 per week by September. On this basis and assuming that 12,000 people are

repatriated by the end fo the financial year, the UK

commitment for reintegration assistance would be

US$6 million in 1989/90. However, the actual figure for

returnees over this period is likely to be much less

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