TNAG-1911-FCO40-2715-Financial-assistance-from-the-UK-Government-to-Vietnamese-re-1989 — Page 106

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Mr Faint

VIETNAM

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Mr Gillmore

Mr. McLaren

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Reference

Reg

161

File away

FROM:

RG M MANNING

DATE: 30 October 1989

CC PS/Mr Lankester

Mr Ainscow

Mr Ireton

Mr McLaren

Mr Colvin SEAD/FCO

Mr Bone ERD/FCO

Mr Machin

Mr Mustard Mr Davis

Mr Davis and I, along with Mr Ireton, met the Diplomatic Wing last week to discuss a number of aspects of the Hong Kong refugee problem.

2.

It was

In brief, the upshot was that a draft will go up to the new Secretary of State advising him to write to the Chief Secretary seeking additional funds for camps in Hong Kong, but also £5 million for some form of direct assistance to Vietnam. agreed that ODA would account for any direct assistance to Vietnam or contributions to British voluntary agency work in the areas of Vietnam where the refugees would return. We also agreed that this source of money could be used to finance any monitoring by British voluntary agencies of the condition of the returnees.

3. I have discussed with Refugee Unit and OMS, and agreed that the Geographical Department will take the lead within ODA in dealing with this part of the operation, though both the Refugee Unit and OMS are happy to advise on the question of contacts with British voluntary agencies.

4.

The Diplomatic Wing confirmed that they would account for the capitation payment for the first group of refugees. The question of which Department should account for subsequent capitation payments (if any) would need to be settled by Ministers at the appropriate time. The scale of capitation payments turns on whether they remain a feature of the arrangements it is a subject for negotiation with the Government of Vietnam - and on the scale of non-voluntary repatriation. At US $625 per head, we could easily be talking in terms of £12 million if most of the refugees return on a non-voluntary basis, but this is of course quite uncertain.

5.

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I should be grateful if you would now carry forward with SEAD the question of how any resources that we get from the Treasury for direct assistance to Vietnam should be used. This will require exploring the role that British NGOs could in fact

ODA

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