TNAG-2071-FCO40-2949-Vietnamese-boat-people-1990 — Page 8

RESTRICTED

MDLIA

032506

8389

MR W REEVES CABINET OFFICE

MR APPLEYARD CABINET OFFICE

MR MACHIN ODA 2 COPIES

MR FAINT, ODA

MR FLESHER B1 DIV HO LUNAR HSE

HKGO LONDON

MRS B FAIR VSU QUEEN ANNES GTE (HOME OFFICE)

MR HOWARD MODUK SEC (0)(C)

PRESS OFFICE NO 10

NNNN

PAGE

2

RESTRICTED

D.

CONFIDENTIAL

20

056363

MDHOAN 8092

НКВ 2+3 1 24.

FAC

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 897

OF 0217OOZ MAY 90

AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG

FINAL SECTION OF 4 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

24.

THE GOVERNMENT WELCOME THE COMMITTEE'S ANALYSIS OF THIS PROBLEM. AS THE COMMITTEE RIGHTLY STATES, IN THE ABSENCE OF SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, HOWEVER REGRETTABLE IT MAY BE, THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO THE MANDATORY REPATRIATION OF THOSE WHO ARE SCREENED OUT. SINCE THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES HELD IN GENEVA IN JUNE 1989, IT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT ALL THOSE SCREENED OUT AS NON-REFUGEES SHOULD RETURN TO VIETNAM. BY DECEMBER 1989, IT WAS CLEAR THAT VOLUNTARY RETURNS ALONE COULD NOT PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG. LESS THAN 1 PERCENT OF THOSE SCREENED OUT HAD VOLUNTEERED, AND THERE WERE NO SIGNS THAT THE NUMBER WOULD INCREASE. ON 12 DECEMBER 1989, THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY THEREFORE ANNOUNCED THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO REPATRIATE 51 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT REFUGEES, WITH GUARANTEES THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE PUNISHED BY THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES. NO FORCE WAS USED. TWO FORMER MINISTERS (LORD ENNALS AND MR RAISON MP) VISTED VIETNAM IN JANUARY AND CONFIRMED THAT NO FORCE HAD BEEN USED AGAINST THOSE RETURNED AND THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN ILL-TREATED IN ANYWAY. 25. WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ENCOURAGE MORE VOLUNTEERS TO COME FORWARD AND TO SPEED UP THE RATE OF VOLUNTARY RETURNS.

SO FAR THIS YEAR THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS HAS INCREASED AND OVER 1,900 HAVE RETURNED TO VIETNAM. DURING HIS VISIT TO VIETNAM IN FEBRUARY, THE MINISTER OF STATE, MR MAUDE ACHIEVED AGREEMENT THAT FROM MAY 1990 AROUND 1000 VOLUNTEERS A MONTH WOULD BE ACCEPTED BACK, A SUFFICIENT RATE OF FLOW, IF MAINTAINED, TO CLEAR ALL THE NON-REFUGEES IN HONG KONG IN LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS. WE ALSO AGREED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COST OF A NEW RECEPTION CENTRE NEAR HANOI TO ENABLE THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES TO REACH THIS TARGET. 26. IN THE MEANTIME, BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE WITH THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT ON THE RESUMPTION OF MANDATORY

REPATRIATION. THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES, WHICH RECONVENED IN GENEVA IN MID-JANUARY, NARROWLY FAILED TO REACH AGREEMENT THAT MANDATORY

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

056363

MDHOAN 8092

REPATRIATION COULD BEGIN FROM 1 JULY 199U. IN THE END CONSENSUS WAS BLOCKED BY THE UNITED STATES, WHICH INSISTED THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE RETURNED INVOLUNTARY BEFORE 1 JANUARY 1991 AND BY THE VIETNAMESE WHO HELD OUT FOR 1 OCTOBER 1990. WE HAVE MADE CLEAR TO THE UNITED STATES ADMINISTRATION THAT IF THEY CONTINUE TO OPPOSE INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, HONG KONG AND THE OTHER PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM WOULD LOOK TO THE UNITED STATES TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION (PARAGRAPH 5.6), WE ARE PRESSING THE UNITED STATES TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCOMMODATION OF THOSE SCREENED OUT UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THEY ARE CONTENT TO ACCEPT THEIR REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM.

27. THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES,

MR STOLTENBERG, LAUNCHED A NEW INITIATIVE IN MID-MARCH AIMED AT TACKLING THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE EXODUS FROM VIETNAM AND INCREASING THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY RETURNS. HE INDICATED THAT UNHCR WOULD BE WILLING TO MONITOR THE CONDITIONS OF ALL WHO RETURN TO VIETNAM, ON A GOOD OFFICES AND TIME LIMITED BASIS, PROVIDED THERE WAS CONSENSUS IN SUPPORT. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH UNHCR FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND DURABLE SOLUTION. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO ENSURE THAT THE RATE OF RETURNS TO VIETNAM IS SUSTAINED AT 1,000 A MONTH AND THAT ANY SHORTFALL IN VOLUNTEERS IS TOPPED UP WITH NON-VOLUNTEERS. WE HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE AN INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS OPENING THE WAY TO UNHCR MONITORING THE CONDITIONS OF ALL WHO RETURN.

28. THE GOVERNMENT AGREE WITH THE COMMITTEE THAT ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO RETURN TO VIETNAM (PARAGRAPH 5.4). REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE IS ALREADY BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO HELP RETURNEES SETTLE BACK INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES, WITH VOLUNTEERS RECEIVING SLIGHTLY MORE GENEROUS TERMS. THE GOVERNMENT ARE ALSO CONSIDERING FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR NGO ACTIVITIES IN AREAS OF VIETNAM FROM WHICH BOAT PEOPLE PREDOMINANTLY COME. HOWEVER, PROGRAMME AID WOULD NEED TO AWAIT FULL ACCEPTANCE BY THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THEIR OWN PEOPLE.

29. AS THE COMMITTEE ALSO RECOMMENDED (PARAGRAPH 5.8), THE GOVERNMENT HAVE CONTINUED TO PRESS THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO STEP UP THEIR EFFORTS TO PREVENT ASYLUM SEEKERS TRANSITTING CHINA EN ROUTE TO HONG KONG BOTH OVERLAND AND ALONG THE SOUTH CHINA COAST. INFORMATION ON THE ROUTES USED IS BEING PASSED TO THE CHINESE ON A REGULAR BASIS.

30.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG SO FAR THIS YEAR IS WELL DOWN ON LAST YEAR'S FIGURES (1250 IN THE PERIOD UP TO 27 APRIL, COMPARED TO OVER 4000 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST

2

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL

Race 10