TNAG-2168-FCO40-3105-House-of-Commons-Foreign-Affairs-Committee-inquiry-into-Hong-1990 — Page 266

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

CONFIDENTIAL

- As the Committee rightly state, 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. Following the publication of our earlier reply,

the Secretary of State announced on 12 December that a first group

of 51 Vietnamese boat people who were not refugees had been repatriated. No force was used. Reference to monitoring visit of

Lord Ennals and Mr Raison.

Do WE?

Chowe I THOUGHT

THOUGHT

returns.

We are doing everything we can to increase flow of voluntary

Pleased that number of volunteers has increased. During

discussions conducted by Minister of State, Mr Maude, during visit

to Vietnam in February, Vietnamese Government agreed to increase

rate of acceptance of volunteers to around 1000 a month from 1 May

1990.

- In meantime negotiations continue on workable arrangements for

return of all non-refugees, including those who do not volunteer.

The Steering Committee of the International Conference on

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

reached near consensus on the resumption of mandatory repatriation.

- 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 those people

settle back into their local communities. The Government is

considering support for NGO activities in areas of Vietnam from which boat people predominantly come.

As the Committee also recommended (paragraph 5.8), the Government

have continued to press the Chinese government to increase their

cooperation over this issue. We appreciate the measures which the

Chinese authorities have taken to intercept Vietnamese transitting

China en route to Hong Kong both overland and along the south China,

coast. We have been giving the Chinese up to date information about

routes most frequently used,

DONE V.LITTLE

CATAAU

PUT IN

FIGURES

ON OVERLAND

are

VIETNAMESE

Ss. Vick

CONFIDENTIAL

LUNDBER

V. NI VETNAMESE

"N. Vietnamese.