TNAG-1977-FCO40-2810-Arrivals-figures-and-procedures-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-H-1989 — Page 37

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1486

OF 101045Z MAY 89

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

INFO PRIORITY HANOI

CONFIDENTIAL

MKD 243/22

54

054431 MDHIAN 4063

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : CALL BY VIEIRA DE MELLO, UNHCR

VIEIRA DE MELLO, HEAD OF UNHCR ASIA BUREAU, ACCOMPANIED BY THE LOCAL CHARGE, CALLED ON ME TODAY. IN BRIEFING HIM ON THE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WE NOW FACE I PREFACED MY REMARKS BY SAYING THAT, FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS HONG KONG HAD BEEN PRE-EMINENT IN THE REGION IN (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) STRICT OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL NORMS IN LOOKING AFTER BOAT PEOPLE. THE CURRENT RATE OF ARRIVALS WAS PUTTING US UNDER SEVERE PRACTICAL STRAIN, AND IN THE LONG RUN INTOLERABLE POLITICAL PRESSURE. OUR POLICY OF FIRST ASYLUM WHICH WAS NOW WIDELY UNPOPULAR IN THE COMMUNITY. I JUDGED THAT WE COULD MAINTAIN THE EXISTING POSITION UNTIL ICIR: IF ICIR DID NOT PRODUCE A CLEAR TIMETABLE TOWARDS A DURABLE SOLUTION, AND IF NUMBERS CONTINUED AT THE PRESENT RATE, WE WOULD COME UNDER MASSIVE PRESSURE TO CEASE APPLYING THE POLICY OF FIRST ASYLUM. THIS WOULD BE COUPLED WITH A HIGH RISK THAT LEGCO WOULD REFUSE TO VOTE FURTHER FUNDS. WE THEREFORE NEEDED AT GENEVA CLEAR COMMITMENTS ON RESETTLEMENT AND AT THE VERY LEAST A CLEAR TIMETABLE FOR MOVES TOWARDS FIRM ARRANGEMENTS

ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION. WE ALSO HOPED THAT THE REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE (RHC) CONCEPT COULD BE VIGOROUSLY PURSUED AT ICIR. WE HAD

NOTED UNHCR DOUBTS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY AND TIMING OF SUCH AN INITIATIVE BUT, IN DEFAULT OF ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE FOR REPAT- RIATION SUCH A PLAN WOULD BE A NECESSARY SAFETY VALVE.

2 =

DE MELLO SAID HE (AND UNHCR) WAS VERY CONSCIOUS OF OUR PROBLEMS. HE WAS REASONABLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT RESETTLEMENT COMMITMENTS AT THE ICIR BUT RECOGNISED THAT (QUOTE) RESETTLEMENT WAS NOW PART OF THE PROBLEM (UNQUOTE) AND OTHER MEASURES WERE NEEDED AS WELL. THE UNHCR'S POSITION WAS THAT WE SHOULD DO ALL POSSIBLE TO PROMOTE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION. THIS WOULD TAKE TIME. WE WERE TRYING TO REVERSE A TREND OF FOURTEEN YEARS. THE QUESTION OF ALTERNATIVE MEASURES REFERRED TO UNDER THE CPA WOULD NEED TO BE FURTHER EXPLORED. UNHCR COULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN THE REPATRIATION OF NON-REFUGEES. BUT IF GOVERNMENTS WISHED TO PURSUE THIS WITH VIETNAM ON A BILATERAL BASIS UNHCR WOULD NOT OBJECT PROVIDED BASIC

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