TNAG-1972-FCO40-2805-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1989 — Page 73

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From:

1. The SETS expressed doubts at

about the Hestoday's meeting chances of persuading ASETAN/UNMER to take on a holding contre, but

agreed that the idea shoud be pursued::

Date:

2. lkn useful to have this focal colour

for draking with the Filipions. Agrisa2 1⁄44.

Mr God

Godson, SEAD

NA Thorne

United Nations Department

20 April 1989

Mr McLaren

Mr Paul, HKD

Mr Brenton, UND

A REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1.

I'm not sure where we now stand on the idea of a Regional Holding Centre, but I was interested to see in Manila telno 137 the predictably down-beat reaction of the Philippines authorities to the idea of their hosting a regional holding centre for Vietnamese refugees. As the telegram recalls in para 1, Tony Manguiat is the key officer in the Philippine DFA dealing with refugee matters and he is currently in Geneva. Manguiat has been the refugee king in the Philippines for years and is something of a dinosaur. If we did wish to pursue the issue with the Filipinos we should attempt to by-pass him.

2.

The Philippines is I think the only realistic candidate for a RHC among the ASEAN countries. The UNHCR Palawan camp is already a first asylum holding centre of sorts. The other camp on Bataan is used (or at least was until I left two years ago) exclusively for preparing refugees who have been accepted for settlement in a third country; primarily the US. Again parallels could be drawn with a holding facility. Refugees are often brought into the Bataan camp from other countries for training prior to resettlement. The Filipinos are thus used to a throughput of refugees who have no immediate connection with their own country.

3.

If we,

in concert with other resettlement countries, could develop an attractive enough package I would not rule out the possibility of persuading the Filipinos to agree to host a holding centre, as long as there was a guarantee that the inmates would go eventually. The Filipinos have always rather liked playing the role of humanitarian when it can be done at no cost to themselves. would undoutedly cost us, but if we could offer a carefully thought out package with real economic benefits as a carrot they might well be tempted to try and gain some international credit in this area.

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N A THORNE

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