TNAG-1917-FCO40-2721-Interdiction-of-Vietnamese-refugees-at-sea-1989 — Page 3

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INFO PRIORITY MANILA, BANGKOK,SINGAPORE,BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG,UKMIS NEW YORK,UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI,WASHINGTON

KUALA LUMPUR TELNOS 388 AND 392: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE:

MALAYSIAN PUSH OFFS

1. BENJAMIN (SECOND SECRETARY) VISITED THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE CENTRE IN PULAU GALANG (RIAU PROVINCE) ON 18 JULY.

2. THE COMMANDANT, LET COL TRISNA ARIFIN, CONFIRMED THAT IN EARLY JULY 292 REFUGEES ARRIVED IN GALANG HAVING BEEN PUSHED-OFF FROM MALAYSIA. SOME OF THE VBPS CONCERNED TOLD BENJAMIN THAT

THEY HAD SPENT 2-3 WEEKS IN BIDONG BEFORE BEING TOWED BACK TO

SEA. THEY CLAIMED THAT THE MALAYSIANS HAD CONFISCATED THEIR ORIGINAL BOATS, PROVIDING BARELY SEAWORTHY CRAFT IN THEIR PLACE. THE MALAYSIANS HAD NOT USED EXCESSIVE FORCE BUT THEY HAD

ACTED ARBITRARILY WITHOUT TELLING THE VBPS WHY THEY WERE BEING

PUT TO SEA OR WHERE THEY WERE BEING SENT.

3. COLONEL MOHAMMAD SAID, CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNMENT'S AGENCY FOR THE SUPERVISION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, SAID THAT OVER 800 BOAT PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED IN INDONESIA SINCE LATE MAY HAVING BEEN

''PUSHED-OFF'' FROM MALAYASIA (PARA 2 OF FIRST TUR). MOST ARE

STILL ON THE OUTER ISLANDS OF NATUNA AND ANAMBAS AWAITING A

UNHCR-CHARTERED SHIP TO BRING THEM TO GALANG. APPARENTLY THE

INDONESIANS HAVE AS YET NOT PROTESTED TO THE MALAYSIANS.

SCREENING

4. SAID CONFIRMED THAT SCREENING IS TO START ON 24 JULY (PARA 4 OF SECOND TUR) AND THAT HE DID NOT EXPECT MORE THAN 25% ''TO PASS THE TEST''. THE PLAN TO CLEAR THE BACKLOG OF POST-17 MARCH

ARRIVALS (2803 VBPS AS OF 17 JULY) IN ONE MONTH SEEMS HOWEVER TO

BE OVERLY AMBITIOUS. THE INDONESIANS HAVE NO PREVIOUS

EXPERIENCE OF SCREENING AND FEW AVAILABLE VIETNAMESE-SPEAKERS TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS. SAID ADDED, INCIDENTALLY, THAT HE WAS STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF COMPULSORY REPATRIATION FOR THE

SCREENED-OUT BUT HAD LITTLE HOPE OF PURSUADING THE DFA.

5. FULL REPORT ON VISIT FOLLOWS BY BAG.

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