TNAG-2067-FCO40-2945-Vietnamese-boat-people-unaccompanied-minors-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 80

CONFIDENTIAL

5

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 276

OF 01110OZ FEBRUARY 90

HK i

RECEIVED IN

DESI

INDEX

243/15

3Y

22 FEB 1990

*FR

있는

Nation

075512

MDHOAN 2251

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI

@

TOP COPY

Q DIST ?

YOUR TELNO 11 AND HONG KONG TELNO 176: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: UNACCOMPANIED MINORS

1.

WHEN MCNAMARA OF UNHCR CALLED ON COLVIN AND HASWELL ON 3U JANUARY, WE DISCUSSED, AMONG OTHER ISSUES, THE QUESTION OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS. MCNAMARA CONFIRMED THAT THE MAIN STICKING POINT WAS OVER UNHCR INVOLVEMENT IN THE RETURN OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS TO VIETNAM WHEN REPATRIATION WAS RECOMMENDED AS THE BEST SOLUTION IN INDIVIDUAL CASES. HE ACCEPTED THAT THERE WAS NO REASON WHY THEY COULD NOT BE RETURNED ON THE VOLUNTARY FLIGHTS, UNDER THE AUSPICES OF UNHCR AND IOM. MCNAMARA WILL BE VISITING HONG KONG IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS IS AN ISSUE OVER WHICH HE MIGHT PROVE A USEFUL INTERMEDIARY WITH THE LOCAL UNHCR OFFICE.

2. MINISTERS ARE KEEN THAT THE LOCAL UNHCR COMMITTEE SHOULD BE FORMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND BEGIN WORK. PARA 2 OF SECOND TUR SUGGESTS THERE IS NO OBSTACLE. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW THE LATEST STATE OF PLAY, AND ALSO WHETHER THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WE SHOULD RAISE WITH UNHCR IN GENEVA TO UNBLOCK THE MATTER. IF WE CAN SEND BACK THE MAJOR PART OF THE 5,000, THIS WILL SWELL THE FLOW OF RETURNEES TO VIETNAM DURING THE PERIOD BEFORE 1 JULY 1990 WHEN, WE HOPE, THE MORATORIUM ON MANDATORY RETURN WILL RUN OUT.

3.

WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE CONSIDERABLE CORRESPONDENCE ON THIS SUBJECT. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE AN UP TO DATE ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS IN THE CAMPS (MCNAMARA REPEATED THE FIGURE OF 5,000), AND ALSO HOW MANY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ORPHANS. WE HAVE A QUEUE OF HOPEFUL ADOPTIVE PARENTS TO WHOM WE ARE EXPLAINING BOTH THE DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN ADOPTING VIETNAMESE CHILDREN, AND THE LIKELIHOOD THAT ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF CHILDREN WOULD FALL INTO THE ADOPTIVE CATEGORY. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO QUOTE CHAPTER AND VERSE.

HURD

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL