AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH UNHCR REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001999 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND PRM, BANGKOK FOR REFUGEE COORDINATOR, GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PREF VM CB SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH UNHCR REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE HANOI 00001999 001.2 OF 003 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On August 1, UNHCR provided the Ambassador with a readout of recent Vietnmam-related developments. UNHCR is working to resolve the status of 9,500 Cambodians (Khmer Krom) living in southern Vietnam through a joint working group with the GVN and Government of Cambodia, though progress is slow. With a planned September monitoring visit to Gia Lai and possibly Kon Tum provinces, UNHCR will attempt to raise to 80 percent the number of ethnic minority returnees it has seen. New arrivals in Cambodia from the Central Highlands in the first six months of this year are up 70 percent over the same period last year due to a greater number of direct arrivals in Phnom Penh. UNHCR decided to accept three so-called double-backers despite reservations about their stories of persecution. Recent UNHCR training of provincial-level officials in the Central Highlands was successful and will be expanded to district-level officials. Despite initial reluctance on the part of local security officials, a U.S.-funded micro-project in Gia Lai is now underway. UNHCR also noted that, after a recent meeting with NGO critics, it has agreed to disagree concerning reported conditions in the Central Highlands. End Summary. Khmer Krom -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On August 1, the Ambassador met with UNHCR Regional Representative Hasim Utkan and Hanoi Chief of Mission Vu Anh Son. Utkan noted that he and Son had just met with VFM Le Van Bang and had delivered to him a letter from UNHCR Assistant Commissioner Erika Feller advocating 1) the convention of an August 16-17 conference of parties to the Tripartite MOU (agenda is under discussion),2) resolution of the status of the 9,500 Cambodians (Khmer Krom) in southern Vietnam and 3) resolution of the GVN's legal contradictions concerning stateless people in general (especially women who go abroad to marry, renounce their Vietnamese citizenship and then divorce before attaining their husband's citizenship, leaving them stateless). On this last item, UNHCR offered to provide technical assistance to the GVN to help it address problems related to statelessness. On item two, the Cambodian Government is prepared to "do its part" by not making a claim regarding these individuals' Cambodian citizenship, but the mechanics of granting them Vietnamese citizenship have yet to be worked out. UNHCR, Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to convene a working party and bilateral ministerial visits to resolve this; however, neither the working party nor the ministerial visits have moved forward, Utkan said. Micro-projects -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Utkan noted that UNHCR's USG-funded micro-projects in the Central Highland region have "had their ups and downs;" however, USG money "will now be fully spent." The USG-funded school construction project in Gia Lai is moving forward thanks to the intervention with local authorities of both Son and the MFA. Son noted that the hold-up on these projects was the result of local Ministry of Public Security (MPS) officials' confusion concerning the Congressional earmark for USD two million to be spent in the Central Highlands. When local MPS officials became aware of the earmark, they "became scared of any NGO involvement in the region" and ordered local officials not to accept any money from UNHCR. This confusion has been resolved, Son added. The Ambassador asked Utkan and Son to inform Embassy staff if such local confusion arises in the future so that we can inform our GVN contacts immediately. UNHCR has also asked the EU to submit a proposal for further micro-projects in the region. Training Sessions -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Utkan noted that UNHCR is generally pleased with the success of its training workshops for provincial officials from the Central Highlands. These training workshops, funded by the Norwegian Embassy, were aimed at explaining UNHCR and its mandate to local officials. On the strength of local demand for further training, Son is preparing to conduct more workshops for district- and commune-level officials from these same provinces, Utkan added. Refugees in Cambodia -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Utkan stated that, so far this year, there have been 170 new additions to those under UNHCR's care in Phnom Penh. This is an increase of more than 70 percent over the same period last year. Five are children born after their parents arrived in Cambodia, and, of the remaining 165 adults, 30 turned out to be Cambodians. Some HANOI 00001999 002.2 OF 003 49 of the remaining 135 adults were direct arrivals, i.e, those who went to Phnom Penh and presented themselves to the UNHCR office, who were held for three weeks by the Cambodian Government in a "guest house" separate from the camps. Son noted that new arrivals are mainly coming from Chu Se, Ia Grai and Duc Co districts in Gia Lai Province. Most of the 140 new arrivals come from Gia Lai Province (98 persons). The others come from the provinces of Dak Lak (20 persons),Dak Nong (16 persons) and Lam Dong (1 person). Most of the new arrivals are of Jarai ethnicity (101 persons). The others are Ede (20 persons),Mnong (16 persons),Bahnar (2 persons) and Koho (1 person). ¶6. (SBU) Utkan noted that in the first six months of 2005, there were only 99 arrivals, and Utkan ascribed the increase in this year's arrivals to the number of direct arrivals who are showing up in Phnom Penh (as opposed to being picked up in Ratanakiri Province). Of the 140 new arrivals (including children),there have been 11 persons who have voluntarily repatriated to Vietnam this year. The remaining 129 persons (88 cases) remain under UNHCR protection in the sites, or in a Phnom Penh guesthouse pending the RGC approval of their transfer to the sites. At the moment, there are 20 persons staying in the guesthouse, Utkan said. ¶7. (SBU) Utkan further stated that although UNHCR had expected follow-to-join (Visas-93) applicants to attempt to cross into Cambodia after being frustrated by the Visas-93 process, this has not yet been an issue. This year so far, there have been no recognitions under derivative status based on husbands and fathers in the United States. The new arrivals for 2006 are not Visas-93 cases, and almost all of them are making individual claims of persecution rather than family reunification claims. That said, Utkan pledged to work with us to ensure that individuals currently under UNHCR's care in Cambodia are not also applicants in the Visas-93 program. New Adjudication Procedures -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Following Assistant Commissioner Feller's visit, UNHCR had proposed to PRM new adjudication procedures that aim to cut in half the time between refugees' arrival and departure for resettlement (which can be as long as 411 days),Utkan continued. (Note: UNHCR has proposed that the USG get a first look at all asylum-seekers, and then UNHCR and other countries would take a look at whom the USG does not screen in. End Note.) Under the new procedures, UNHCR will "do its part" to minimize processing time and will move faster to adjudicate applicants rejected by the USG. Returnee Monitoring Visits -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Utkan stated that UNHCR is planning its next monitoring visit for September. At three to four days, the trip to Gia Lai (and possibly Kon Tum) will be longer than previous monitoring visits and will attempt to increase the percentage of returnees whom UNHCR has seen to 80 or 90 percent (up from the current 66 percent). Of the two individuals who were arrested after their return to Vietnam, UNHCR was able to visit the one who was subsequently released. The Gia Lai People's Committee has agreed to let Utkan and Son visit the other returnee, who is being held on alien smuggling charges, in prison. Double-backers -------------- ¶10. (SBU) On the issue of double-backers, Utkan noted that UNHCR had ultimately decided to screen three of them in as "surplus" -- although their stories of persecution did not hold water -- because "we felt it was not worth the risk of sending them back and the GVN doesn't want them." Utkan also said that there are currently six "rejected/rejected" individuals who were turned down by both UNHCR and the USG; their cases will have to be submitted to the Cambodian Government for return to Vietnam. Relations with Human Rights Watch -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Finally, Utkan noted that he recently met with Sara Colm and Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch (HRW) to discuss HRW's recent criticisms of the Tripartite MOU and UNHCR's activities. (Note: These criticisms were based on the double-backers' reports and on reports on conditions in the Central Highlands from follow-to-join wives who recently arrived in the United States. End Note.) UNHCR and HRW have "agreed to disagree" on the situation facing returnees in the Central Highlands. "The problem is that HRW wants us to assume a human rights role, which is not our function," Utkan observed. HANOI 00001999 003.2 OF 003 MARINE