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Background and Argument
3. ORP II, involving the return to Vietnam of illegal immigrants from Hong Kong who were in the territory before 29 October last year, is the next agreed step in clearing the camps in Hong Kong of Vietnamese Migrants. It was the final part of the "Statement of Principles" signed with Vietnam last October, but has not so far been implemented; the Vietnamese were holding out for greater financial assistance to help them reintegrate returnees into their local communities. They have now been persuaded to start the process initially on a trial basis involving three non-voluntary flights on the understanding, which Hong Kong accept, that further flights will depend on a financial contribution from Hong Kong itself towards Vietnam's reintegration costs.
4. The three mandatory flights under the first phase of the Orderly Repatriation Programme (ORP I) went well and were successful in stimulating applications for voluntary repatriation as well as capping the outflow from Vietnam (7 only in 1992 so far). There are no longer sufficient new arrivals to justify further ORP I flights. The number of volunteers has dropped recently; we need to drive home the message that if non-refugees do not volunteer for return under UNHCR auspices our preferred option they will be returned to Vietnam in any case. The agreement on modalities for ORP II which
has UNHCR support will allow us to do this. The sooner we can put ORP II into operation the sooner the camps can be cleared.
Savin
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G W Hewitt
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