TNAG-2063-FCO40-2941-Vietnamese-boat-people-repatriation-1990 — Page 5

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HKB 243/11

174413

MDHIAN 3040

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FM UKMIS GENEVA

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 376

OF 011308Z JUNE 1990

RECEIVED 'AL

~~RY

16 JUL 1990

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LESK

INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, WASHINGTON, HONG KONG

INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK, JAKARTA; MANILA, OTTAWA INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA, TOKYO

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: UNHCR DISCUSSIONS WITH VIETNAM

SUMMARY

1. ACCOUNT OF VIEIRA DE MELLO'S DISCUSSION WITH VIETNAMESE IN HANOI FOLOWING REGIONAL MEETING IN MANILA. UNHCR STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT WE SHOULD BUILD ON VIETNAMESE OFFER TO DEAL WITH ''GREY AREA'' RETURNS WITHOUT OVER-FORMALITY.

DETAIL

2.

VIEIRA DE MELLO DURING HIS VISIT TO HANOI IN THE WEEK BEGINNING 21 MAY HAD EXTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH LE THO, VU KHOAN, THE VICE-MINISTER OF LABOUR AND CANH (DIRECTOR OF THE INTERIOR). ALL HIS VIETNAMESE INTERLOCUTORS TOOK A CONSISTENT LINE. THE VIETNAMESE POSITION ON 'FORCIBLE REPATRIATION' WAS UNCHANGED. VIETNAM, HOWEVER, WISHED TO MAKE PROGRESS WITH THE UK AND HONG KONG BY CONCENTRATING ON GREY AREA CASES, ENCOURAGING THOSE WHO DID NOT REFUSE RETURN TO ACCEPT REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM. THE VIETNAMESE SAID THAT UK INSISTENCE ON RESOLVING THE QUESTION OF THE USE OF FORCE WOULD MAKE IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND A WAY-FORWARD. SOME PROGRESS, HOWEVER, WAS DESIRABLE BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING OF THE CPA STEERING COMMITTEE. BOTH LE THO AND VU KHOAN HAD ASKED VIEIRA DE MELLO TO ENCOURAGE HONG KONG AND THE UK TO WORK ON THE LIST OF 462 PERSONS WHOSE NAMES HAD BEEN SUPPLIED LATE LAST YEAR. INITIAL INDICATIONS SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS LITTLE IF ANY OVER LAP BETWEEN THIS LIST AND THE LISTS OF VOLUNTEERS WHICH UNHCR PROCESSED. VU KHOAN HAD REFERRED CONSISTENTLY TO ''ORDERLY RETURN AND HAD EMPHASISED STRONGLY TO VIEIRA DE MELLO HIS WISH TO FIND AN ACCOMMODATION WITH HK/UK. BUT THE VIETNAMESE COULD NOT CONCEDE A WRITTEN REFERENCE TO USE OF MINIMAL FORCE''.

3. ON MONITORING DEPARTURES FROM HONG KONG, VU KHOAN RECOGNISED THAT UNHCR WOULD NOT UNDERTAKE THE TASK. HE HAD SUGGESTED USING REPRESENTATIVES OF THE HONG KONG AND VIETNAMESE RED CROSS SOCIETIES (LRCS). A FURTHER POSSIBILITY, WHICH VIEIRA DE MELLO THOUGHT THE

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