TNAG-1915-FCO40-2719-Hong-Kong-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-in-third-count-1989 — Page 56

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TOP COF¢ Q

044266 MDHIAN 0578

HKB 243/28. a DIST?

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FM BANGKOK

ΤΟ

IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 410

OF 2309OOZ JUNE 89

AND TO PRIORITY

HONG KONG HANOI SINGAPORE MANILA BANDAR SER BEGAWAN

AND TO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR UKMIS GENEVA JAKARTA

UKMIS GENEVA TELNO 368: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: MEETING ON RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA

SUMMARY

1. UNHCR PROPOSE MEETING IN BANGKOK ON 3 JULY. IT IS NOT ENVISAGED EXPERTS FROM CAPITALS NEED ATTEND THIS MEETING, AT WHICH UNHCR WILL PRESENT DATA ON PRE-CUT OFF CASELOAD, WITH A VIEW TO ESTABLISHING WHO IS RESETTLED FIRST. MEETING WILL ALSO ESTABLISH AGENDA FOR SUBSEQUENT MEETING AT WHICH

RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA WILL BE DISCUSSED AND AT WHICH STAGE EXPERTS ARE LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE.

DETAIL

2. AT A BRIEFING MEETING GIVEN BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN

AFFAIRS ON 23 JUNE, UNHCR DEPUTY REPRESENTATIVE IN THAILAND, ZAMAN, ANNOUNCED UNHCR PLANNED TO HOLD A MEETING ON RESETTLEMENT ON 3 JULY. ZAMAN INDICATED THAT UNHCR WOULD BY

THEN BE READY TO GIVE A REGIONAL BREAK-DOWN ON PRE-CUT OFF

DATE REFUGEE CASELOAD, WITH A VIEW TO ESTABLISHING SOME SORT

OF PRIORITY FOR EVENTUAL RESETTLEMENT.

3. AFTER SOME DISCUSSION AMONGST UNHCR, US, AUSTRALIAN, CANADIAN, THAI AND UK REPRESENTATIVES IT WAS ESTABLISHED THAT THE 3 JULY MEETING WOULD NOT SEEK TO DEFINE INDIVIDUAL COUNTRY RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA, NOR TRY TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF MATCHING POSSIBLE OFFERS TO CASELOADS. RATHER, UNHCR WOULD PROVIDE RELEVANT DATA FROM THE CAMPS FOR TRANSMISSION

TO CAPITALS, ALONG WITH AN AGREED AGENDA FOR A SUBSEQUENT MEETING (A WEEK TO TEN DAYS LATER) TO INITIATE PROCESS OF

COMMITMENT TO RESETTLEMENT OF REGIONAL CASELOAD.

GIVEN THE ABOVE, WE SEE NO NEED FOR A HOME OFFICE EXPERT FOR 3 JULY MEETING. HOWEVER, IT WOULD STILL SEEM SENSIBLE

4.

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