TNAG-1971-FCO40-2804-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1989 — Page 48

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3. ALL THE VIETNAMESE ACKNOWLEDGED THE SCALE AND URGENCY OF THE

PROBLEM BUT CALLED FOR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY VIETNAM AFTER 40 YEARS OF WAR. THACH REPEATEDLY STRESSED THAT BOTH SIDES SHOULD COOPERATE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, AND THAT HE WOULD

DO ALL HE COULD TO HELP. HE UNDERTOOK TO ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS TO STEP

UP PUBLICITY TO DISSUADE PEOPLE FROM LEAVING. HE WOULD ACCELERATE

THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROCESS (AND GET THE SECOND GROUP OF 100 BACK BEFORE THE END OF APRIL). HE ALSO ENCOURAGED LORD GLEN-

ARTHUR TO BE FILMED MEETING THE RETURNEES NOW IN HANOI: THEIR

COMMENTS ON THEIR EXPERIENCES IN HONG KONG SHOULD DISCOURAGE

OTHERS FROM LEAVING.

4. THE VIETNAMESE ADVANCED VARIOUS EXPLANATIONS FOR THE CURRENT

SURGE IN ARRIVALS: A LINGERING HOPE THAT RESETTLEMENT WAS STILL ON OFFER: MISUNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE ARRIVING BEFORE THE GENEVA

CONFERENCE MIGHT GET BETTER TREATMENT: DELAYS IN ODP (SEE PARA 7 BELOW) AND THE CASH PROVIDED FOR VOLUNTARY RETURNEES.

5.

www.

LORD GLENARTHUR STRONGLY SUPPORTED CONCERTED INTERNATIONAL

ACTION IN THE PROCESS LEADING UP TO THE GENEVA CONFERENCE. BUT

IT HAD TO BE RECOGNISED THAT, EVEN IF (AS WE HOPED) THE SUCCESSFUL RETURN OF VOLUNTEEES ENCOURAGED MORE TO COME FORWARD AND

DISCOURAGED DEPARTURES, THIS WAS MOST UNLIKELY TO BRING A FULL SOLUTION. WE WOULD THEN NEED TO PROCEED TO THE OTHER STEPS IN THE PROPOSED CPA, IE MANDATORY REPATRIATION. IF THE SUMMER WINDS BROUGHT A FURTHER MAJOR INFLUX, INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE (PARTICULARLY BUT NOT JUST FROM HONG KONG) WOULD MOUNT FOR THE PROCESS TO BE

ACCELERATED: PATIENCE WAS NEAR BREAKING POINT. THACH SAID THAT

INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT. WE HAD TO SHARE

THE BURDEN. VIETNAM WOULD HAVE TO PUNISH THOSE WHO RETURNED INVOLUNTARILY, TO ENCOURAGE MORE VOLUNTEERSC, AS WELL AS PUNISH THOSE WHO TRIED TO LEAVE ILLEGALLY AS A DETERRENT,. COLVIN SAID THAT THIS COULD NOT BE RIGHT: IT WAS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT CAND ACCEPTED INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE) FOR PEOPLE TO RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY

OF ORIGIN WITHOUT PUNISHMENT. THACH AGREED THAT THIS APPLIED TO VOLUNTEERS, BUT FORCED RETURN WOULD BE AN ABUSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

SO VIETNAM WOULD BE CONDEMNED EITHER WAY AND COULD CHOOSE BETWEEN

THE PLAGUE AND CHOLERA. GLENARTHUR EXPRESSED GREAT CONCERN AT THIS

LINE OF ARGUMENT. ANY SUGGESTION OF PUNISHING RETURNEES

RISKED HALTING PROGRESS. HE RECALLED VIETNAM'S AGREEMENT TO A

COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION: THACH TWICE JIBBED AT THE WORD COMPREHEN- SIVE, INSISTING ON QUOTE VOLUNTARY UNQUOTEC. LORD GLENARTHUR RETURNED TO THIS THEME TETE-A-TETE (PLEASE PROTECT)

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