UNHCR Regional Representative's January 11 Briefing

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000157 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV and PRM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PREF VM CB ETMIN HUMANR SUBJECT: UNHCR Regional Representative's January 11 Briefing of Diplomatic Corps Ref: A) Hanoi 3341; B) Bangkok 477; C) Hanoi 3424 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On January 11, UNHCR Regional Representative for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Hasim Utkan briefed representatives from concerned diplomatic missions in Hanoi on Montagnard issues and UNHCR relations with the Vietnamese Government. Utkan described the UNHCR's difficulties in dealing with the GVN and noted the UNHCR's dismay with recent accusations in the Vietnamese press about UNHCR complicity in encouraging Montagnards to cross the border. Utkan also outlined the UNHCR's efforts to help mitigate the situation in Cambodia. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) UNHCR Regional Representative for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Hasim Utkan opened his January 11 briefing for the Hanoi Diplomatic Corps (which DCM attended) by recalling his December 16 meeting with the Vietnamese MFA's Director General for Consular Affairs (Ref A). At this meeting, Utkan had put three items on the table: a permanent expatriate UNHCR presence in Vietnam; keeping the Montagnard issue from impacting on other UNHCR activities in Vietnam; and, a possible visit by the High Commissioner in ¶2005. Utkan had remained in Hanoi until December 22 but received no reaction to these points from the GVN. (Note: The UNHCR has since learned that the GVN agreed to allow an international staff position at the UNHCR mission in Hanoi (Ref B). End note.) ¶3. (SBU) On December 24, Utkan continued, the MFA called in the local (Vietnamese) UNHCR representative and asked that the UNHCR remove all Montagnards from Ratanakiri Province before January 1. After consulting with Geneva, the UNHCR complied with this request and rapidly moved 173 individuals to Phnom Penh. On December 29, the UNHCR was surprised to learn of the article in the Ministry of Public Security's newspaper "An Ninh The Gioi" ("World Security") accusing the UNHCR of encouraging Montagnard flight (Ref C). On January 4, the article was picked up by the English-language "Vietnam News." At the same time, the UNHCR was engaged in processing, with Cambodian Government assistance, the 770 Montagnards in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian police denied press reports that they had increased controls on their side of the border, but did acknowledge that they had brought existing border units up to authorized strength, Utkan said. ¶4. (SBU) Utkan remarked that he had just met with the Vietnamese Deputy DG of the MFA's Consular Department to express his and the UNHCR's concern about the Vietnamese charges and to remind the GVN that the three points he raised in December are still on the table. At that time, the DDG had nothing new to offer on the three points, but did express appreciation for the UNHCR's prompt action in removing the Montagnards to Phnom Penh. Regarding press stories of improper UNHCR behavior, the DDG only offered that the GVN could not "control a free press." On instructions from Geneva, Utkan made clear that the accusations in the article are not acceptable and that there is no evidence to back them up. The UNHCR does not mistreat its charges, and the expatriate named in the article had left Cambodia in 2002 (and is reportedly now in Afghanistan). (Note: According to Ref B, the GVN has now given a "modest apology" to the UNHCR for these articles. End note.) ¶5. (SBU) A major concern of the UNHCR is that these accusations, absurd as they are, make it very difficult for the UNHCR to have any constructive role in the Central Highlands, Utkan said. It would be next to impossible to operate in the environment of distrust created by these charges. Utkan recited a list of actions that the UNHCR had taken in 2004 in Cambodia to accommodate GVN concerns, including closing offices near the border and even broadcasting to Montagnards to tell them not to come to Cambodia in the hope of resolving problems such as land disputes. This was almost unprecedented, since the UNHCR normally does not negotiate with the country of origin in a refugee situation. ¶6. (SBU) As things now stand, the UNHCR is faced with a number of critical problems. For example, the issue of what to do with the 132 Montagnards who have been rejected as refugees by the UNHCR is pressing. Normally, it would be up to the Cambodian Government to decide. Moreover, there are a number of individuals eligible for resettlement who want neither to be resettled nor repatriated to Vietnam. For its part, the Cambodian authorities have stated that Montagnards do not have the option of remaining in Cambodia. The UNHCR understands that some non-government organizations have even asked the Montagnard Foundation to refrain from encouraging people to cross the border. On top of everything, it is very difficult to know the real situation in the Central Highlands. Without a presence of its own or other local sources it can rely on, the UNHCR is forced to use Human Rights Watch reports, Utkan explained. ¶7. (SBU) In spite of its problems with the GVN, the UNHCR believes it must maintain its dialogue to at least keep some "asylum space" in Cambodia. However, the GVN wants to handle this as a one-time operation: all who want resettlement should be resettled abroad and those who remain should in turn be sent back to Vietnam. The UNHCR is still seeking a solution beyond resettlement. However, the organization must face the fact that, in the short run at least, no solution may be possible, Utkan noted. ¶8. (SBU) The best that can be done may be to contain, rather than resolve, the problem. With this in mind, the High Commissioner still wants to visit. The purpose would be to intervene at a higher level in the GVN in the hope of getting help from someone who could "manage" the "faction" opposed to the UNHCR. The UNHCR would appreciate support from concerned countries to encourage the GVN to accept the visit, as opportunities present themselves. MARINE