MAV 415/24
CONFIDENTIAL
043366
MDHOAN 0598
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO
IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON
TELNO 860
OF 0513OOZ MAY 89
AND TO IMMEDIATE TOKYO, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, PARIS, BONN, ROME
TO IMMEDIATE LUXEMBOURG, BRUSSELS, COPENHAGEN, MADRID, LISBON AND TO IMMEDIATE THE HAGUE, ATHENS, DUBLIN, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR AND TO IMMEDIATE JAKARTA, SINGAPORE, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, OSLO AND TO IMMEDIATE STOCKHOLM
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA, PEKING, HANOI
OUR TELNO 835 (NOT TO ALL) AND 956 TO HONG KONG (NOT TO ALL) :
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG.
1.
MINISTERS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION NOW FACING HONG KONG. WE ARE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO BRING PRESSURE TO BEAR ON THE VIETNAMESE TO REDUCE THE OUTFLOW OF BOAT PEOPLE, AND TO LIVE UP TO THEIR INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES BY TAKING BACK ALL NON REFUGEES. WE HAVE ALSO URGED THE CHINESE TO STOP THOSE BOAT PEOPLE WHO SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM POINTS ON THE SOUTH CHINA COAST AND THOSE WHO CROSS INTO CHINA BY THE SINO/VIETNAMESE LAND BORDER FROM GOING ON TO HONG KONG. THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDOCHINESE REFUGEES (ICIR) IN JUNE WILL BE THE KEY TO A DURABLE SOLUTION.
2.
A DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION (CPA) FOR ENDORSEMENT BY THE ICIR WAS AGREED BY THE MAIN RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM AND VIETNAM IN KUALA LUMPUR IN JANUARY. THE CPA PROVIDES FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF REGION-WIDE SCREENING TO DETERMINE WHICH BOAT PEOPLE MEET REFUGEE CRITERIA: FOR A MULTI-YEAR PROGRAMME TO RESETTLE ALL REFUGEES IN THE PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM: AND RECOGNISES THE PRINCIPLE THAT PERSONS DETERMINED NOT TO BE REFUGEES SHOULD RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. THE CPA ENVISAGES THAT IN THE FIRST INSTANCE REPATRIATION SHOULD BE ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. IF AFTER A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME THAT DOES NOT MAKE SUFFICIENT PROGRESS THE CPA PROVIDES FOR EXAMINATION OF ALTERNATIVES RECOGNISED AS BEING ACCEPTABLE UNDER INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE.
3.
THERE HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING PROGRESS ON THE FIRST ELEMENTS (SCREENING AND RESETTLEMENT) THROUGH WORK IN SUB-COMMITTEES ESTABLISHED TO FLESH OUT THE CPA PRIOR TO THE ICIR. REACHING
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