COZAIR(4)
b)
Resettlement of those who are refugees.
c) Repatriation of those who are not refugees.
On (c) the Vietnamese agreed at the Kuala Lumpur PrepCon to the principle that all non-refugees should return to their country of
origin. Working groups will now prepare an operational plan to implement the Comprehensive Plan of Action, to be ready by the June
Conference.
REPATRIATION
5. The first group of 75 boat people who volunteered to return to
Vietnam were repatriated on 2 March. Press comment so far has been generally favourable. We need time to see how the voluntary
programme progresses.
6.
Involuntary repatriation remains a thorny issue. The Vietnamese continue to resist the idea that they should receive back boat
people who have not chosen to return, but they were not prepared to prevent the success of the PrepCon by holding out on this point. The Americans, despite their new policy of detention and
repatriation towards Central American Asylum Seekers, continue to display sensitivity and unpredictability on this in the context of
Indo-Chinese refugees.
HONG KONG/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICE AGREEMENT
7. Hong Kong is included in 24 UK Air Service Agreements (ASAs).
Three of these have already been separated and a fourth, new, ASA
has been concluded with Brunei. It is intended that all should be
separated before 1997. At preliminary separation talks in 1987, Australia made excessive demands (in trunk and regional routes) as a
price for agreeing to separation. UK not prepared to back down. No progress was made at latest round of talks (October 1988). Senator Evans maintained this firm line in discussion with the Governor on 2
February, but when Lord Glenarthur met Evans in late February, Evans
said that the Australians were prepared to negotiate separate ASA provided that they did not end up worse off than before.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.