TNAG-1911-FCO40-2715-Financial-assistance-from-the-UK-Government-to-Vietnamese-re-1989 — Page 213

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VIETNAM, HOCKE SAID THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GIVE A VIEW ON THIS WITHOUT KNOWING THE ATTTUDE OF THE VIETNAM GOVERNMENT AND THE NATURE OF ANY BILATERAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN VIETNAM AND BRITAIN. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE RETURN WOULD ALSO BE IMPORTANT UNHCR COULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN FORCIBLE OR MANDATORY REPATRIATION.

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6. I SAID THAT, FOR UNDERSTANDABLE REASONS, WE AND VIETNAM HAD AGREED THAT THE PRECISE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT, WOULD BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL NEGOTIATIONS WERE COMPLETE. BUT I COULD ASSURE

HOCKE IN GENERAL TERMS THAT THE AGREEMENT WOULD FOLLOW THE SAME LINES AS THE AGREEMENT ON VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION AND THAT THE

VIETNAM GOVERNMENT WOULD ONLY ACCEPT ACQUIESCENT RETURNEES.

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HOCKE EXPRESSED DOUBTS WHETHER THERE WILL BE ANY IN THIS CATEGORY, AND REFERRED TO A GROUP OF 20 ''AWAITING FORCIBLE REPATRIATION'', 3 OF WHOM HAD THREATENED SUICIDE. I SAID THAT THIS

DESCRIPTION WAS A MISNOMER. THE SCREENED-OUT WHOSE APPEALS HAD BEEN

FINALLY REJECTED WOULD BE SEPARATED INTO THOSE WHO WOULD VIOLENTLY

RESIST REPATRIATION AND THOSE WHO MIGHT VOLUNTEER OR ACQUIESCE (HONG KONG TELNO 2719). THIS WAS WHERE COUNSELLING WAS VITAL, AND WHERE WE WANTED GREATER UNHCR ACTIVITY. IF THE ACQUIESCENT COULD BE PERSUADED TO VOLUNTEER, SO MUCH THE BETTER. HOCKE AGREED.

8. ON THE PHILIPPINE REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE (RPC), HOCKE CONFIRMED THAT WIJERATNE WOULD GIVE THE PREPARATION OF DATA ON THIS

PROJECT A HIGH PRIORITY WHEN HE TOOK UP HIS APPOINTMENT IN MANILA.

9. ON THE FINANCIAL PROBLEM CHONG KONG TEL 2739), HOCKE SAID THAT VAN LEEUWEN HAD CONFIRMED ON HONG KONG TV THIS WEEK THAT UNHCR WERE

NOT BACKING AWAY FROM THEIR COMMITMENTS, BUT PAYMENT DEPENDED ON THE RESPONSE TO THE US DOLLARS 32M APPEAL (SEE PARA 3 ABOVE).

10. FINALLY, I THANKED HOCKE FOR THE HELP UNHCR HAD GIVEN OVER THE

THIRD RETURN OF VOLUNTEERS (HONG KONG TEL 2751). HOCKE SAID UNHCR WERE VERY PLEASED WITH THE WAY THE RETURN OF VOLUNTEERS WAS GOING, AND SAID HIS PEOPLE IN HANOI WOULD KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON VIETNAM

TO PROCESS PROMPTLY FURTHER NAMES OF VOLUNTEERS.

SANKEY

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