TNAG-2168-FCO40-3105-House-of-Commons-Foreign-Affairs-Committee-inquiry-into-Hong-1990 — Page 189

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maintained, to clear all the non-refugees in Hong Kong in little

over 3 years. The Government also offered to contribute to the cost

of a new reception centre near Hanoi to enable the Vietnamese authorities to reach this target.

32. It has been clear for some time, however, that voluntary

returns alone cannot provide a comprehensive solution to the

problems in Hong Kong. The latest evidence shows that only about 2%

of those screened out as non-refugees have volunteered to return to

Vietnam. The Government shares the Committee's view that in the

absence of significant levels of voluntary repatriation, there is no

alternative to the repatriation of those who are screened out

(paragraph 5.4). 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, under a

bilateral agreement reached with the Vietnamese Government in June

1989 which guaranteed that returnees would not be punished by the

Vietnamese authorities. No force was used. Two former Ministers

(Lord Ennals and Mr Raison MP) visited Vietnam in January and

confirmed that no force had been used against those returned and

that they had not been ill-treated in any way. Discussions are

continuing with the Vietnamese Government on the practicalities of

non-voluntary repatriation. The agreement of June 1989 remains in

force.

33. The Steering Committee of the International Conference on

Indo-Chinese Refugees, which reconvened in Geneva in mid-January

narrowly failed to reach agreement on how to deal with those

determined not to be refugees following screening. Almost all the participants were prepared to accept that mandatory repatriation

could begin from 1 July 1990. 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. The Government 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.

CATAAU (14)

The

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