TNAG-2033-FCO40-2896-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1990 — Page 78

being returned to Vietnam to settle back into their local

communities. We are having preliminary discussions with the Vietnamese about the involvement of NGOs in providing assistance to

the local communities.

44. UK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

We recently announced a new contribution of over £10 million towards

improving emergency accomodation and the construction of a new purpose-built camp on Tai A Chau. We are also helping with repatriation and transport costs. Since beginning of last year, we have pledged or contributed a total of some £28 million towards the

boat people problem.

45.

PHILIPPINE REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE

We have pledged £3m towards the establishment of a processing centre in the Philippines to which refugees now in Hong Kong might

move quickly, thereby releasing pressure on space. Our offer is conditional on the centre being ready to accept people from Hong Kong by 1 July, and on other countries also contributing to its

construction casts.

46. RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES

- Resettlement of Vietnamese refugees from the SE Asian region is

ahead of schedule. The first of the 2,000 which Britain undertook

to resettle at the 1989 Geneva Conference have now begun to arrive.

We are looking at ways of accelerating our offtake from Hong Kong.

47. UNHCR ROLE

UNHCR support is highly desirable if we are to achieve the

phased, orderly and monitored return in safety and dignity to

Vietnam of all who are not refugees. Such a role would be outside

UNHCR's present mandate. They would require a request from the

International Conference Steering Committee, on the basis of a

Committee consensus, to extend their 'good offices' to cover such a role. Consensus is currently blocked by the United States and

PSRAAL