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WOMEN, CHILDREN AND UNACCOMPANIED MINORS. KASIT ADDED THAT NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUED AT OFFICIAL LEVEL BUT VERY SLOWLY. LESS
THAN 20 VBP HAD GONE BACK FROM THAILAND.
4. MR MAUDE ASKED WHETHER THE THAIS HAD DWQTCVSED MANDATORY REPATRIATION. SIDDHI SAID THAT A MEETING WAS PLANNED WITHIN A MONTH. HE WOULD BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW THE RESULTS OF MR MAUDE'S TALKS WITH THE VIETNAMESE. THAILAND WOULD THEN BACK US UP. KASIT EXPLAINED THAT THE THAIS HAD MADE IT CLEAR THEY HAD NO MONEY TO OFFER VIETNAM. THEY PREFERRED THE MONEY TO BE CHANNELED THROUGH THE UNHCR, TO AVOID THE VIETNAMESE PICKING AND CHOOSING AMONG BILATERAL DEALS. MR MAUDE SAID THAT WE HAD MADE STRONG REPRESENTATIONS TO THE US TO STEP UP FUNDING FOR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THAILAND COULD MAKE A SIMILAR APPROACH.
5. MR MAUDE ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS ANY PRESSURE ON THAILAND TO REVIEW ITS POLICY OF FIRST ASYLUM. SIDDHI SAID THERE WAS PUBLIC PRESSURE BUT THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO GO ALONG WITH THE CPA. KASIT SAID THAT A REVIEW OF POLICY WOULDWZ3^ %:, 5#3 AMERICAN REPLY. IF THEY DID NOT MOVE WITHIN A FORTNIGHT, THAILAND WOULD CONSIDER CALLING FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING BY MARCH. MR MAUDE STRESSED THE URGENCY OF THE SITUATION. WE HAD UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF NUMBERS OF BOATS ALREADY ON THE WAY
TO HONG KONG.
MALAYSIAN BILATERAL
6. AFTER MR MAUDE EXPLAINED THE REGIONAL APPROACH, FOREIGN MINISTER HASSAN RECALLED THAT THE VIETNAMESE HAD WANTED 1 OCTOBER FOR THE START OF MANDATORY REPATRIATION: MALAYSIA COULD ACCEPT THIS. MR MAUDE POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS TOO LATE FOR HONG KONG. 35,000 VBP HAD ARRIVED LAST YEAR AND ARRIVALS IN JANUARY WERE ALREADY UP BY 40 PER CENT. EVEN BY THE JULY DATE WE COULD EXPECT ANOTHER 20,000 IN HONG KONG. HE WANTED TO DISCUSS A POSSIBLE WAY FORWARD SINCE MALAYSIA WAS UNDER SIMILAR PRESSURES TO HONG KONG. COULD THEY SUPPORT A CONSENSUS ON 1 JULY BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES MOST CLOSELY INVOLVED, WITH UNHCR AGREEMENT?
7. ABU HASSAN REFERRED TO HIS RECENT MEETING WITH THE VIETNAMESE. DISCUSSIONS HAD BEEN FRUITFUL THOUGH THE QUESTION HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. VIETNAM DIVIDED THOSE GOING BACK INTO THREE CATEGORIES THOSE WHO VOLUNTEERED, THOSE WHO DID NOT OBJECT, AND THOSE WHO WOULD HAVE TO BE FORCED. THERE WOULD BE A FURTHER MEETING, IN KUALA LUMPUR, IN MID-MARCH. MALAYSIA'S VIEW WAS VERY
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