VZCZCXRO3387
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #0203/01 0520833
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210833Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7218
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4331
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1233

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000203 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND PRM, BANGKOK FOR REFUGEE COORDINATOR, GENEVA 
FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF KIRF CB VM
 
SUBJECT: UNHCR SAYS GVN TROUBLED BY ONGOING MONTAGNARD EMIGRATION TO 
CAMBODIA, QUESTIONING UNHCR'S ROLE 
 
REFS:  Hanoi 0100 
 
HANOI 00000203  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  UNHCR Deputy Regional Representative Giuseppe de 
Vincentis and Vietnam Officer-in-Charge Vu Anh Son met with the 
Ambassador on February 19 to discuss the need for a timely solution 
to the growing UNHCR Montagnard camp population in Cambodia.  De 
Vincentis said UNHCR was not in a position to open up a fourth camp 
in Cambodia to accommodate the increasing numbers, and the 
Vietnamese individuals eligible for the Visas 93 program should 
apply in Vietnam, rather than cross the border into Cambodia.  De 
Vincentis also said that GVN officials told him they were becoming 
nervous with the increasing number of Montagnard emigres and 
questioned the benefits of the GVN - RGC - UNHCR Tripartite MOU, now 
entering its fourth year.  The Ambassador and de Vincentis agreed 
that, as a first step, a targeted information campaign was needed to 
help remedy the current situation.  De Vincentis noted that USDHS 
was currently helping to clear a 200-person backlog of cases 
warranting USG final review.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a February 19 Hanoi meeting, UNHCR Deputy Regional 
Representative Giuseppe de Vincentis briefed the Ambassador on the 
situation in the three UNHCR-run Montagnard "sites" (aka camps) in 
Phnom Penh and his earlier meeting with GVN officials.  UNHCR is 
concerned that its three sites in Cambodia are now at maximum 
capacity, with 550 Montagnard refugee seekers at different stages of 
processing.  Although most are denied refugee status by UNHCR, a 
steady stream of Montagnard arrivals to Cambodia continues. 
According to UNHCR Cambodia reports, there were 51 Montagnard 
arrivals in January 2008, and by February 5, there were already 12 
for the month of February, an increase from 2007 monthly averages. 
De Vincentis explicitly told the Ambassador that UNHCR would not 
open a fourth site in Cambodia.  (Note:  In a meeting later the same 
day with HCMC CG, DPO, and refugee officer, de Vincentis indicated 
that UNHCR had considered opening a fourth site, but quickly 
rejected the idea because of budget constraints and the potential 
pull factor. End note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) The GVN Ministry of Foreign Affairs has become 
uncomfortable with the growing number of Montagnard border crossers, 
as the Tri-Partite MOU (GVN-RGC-UNHCR) enters its fourth year.  The 
MOU was meant to eventually reduce border crossing, but the 
Vietnamese say they see no end in sight.  According to de Vincentis, 
GVN officials diplomatically suggested to him that UNHCR had become 
a magnet, after the GVN allowed UNHCR full access to the Central 
Highlands.  They suggested to de Vincentis that the pre-MOU days may 
have been better, as UNHCR was now "producing refugees."  The GVN 
maintains that it has worked hard to develop the Central Highlands 
region and provide more opportunities for its ethnic minority 
inhabitants. 
 
¶4. (SBU) At the camps in Cambodia, de Vincentis said that USDHS will 
soon interview the 200-person "UNHCR screened out" (denied refugee 
status by UNHCR) case backlog, dating to before the May 1, 2007 
policy.  This should help some, de Vincentis said, but he remains 
concerned about the large number of derivative 
status/Visas-93-eligible cases.  Although Montagnards may have their 
Visas-93 cases processed at our Humanitarian Resettlement Section 
(HRS) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), many are still making the choice 
to cross the border into Cambodia instead.  De Vincentis suggested 
to the Ambassador that we need to get such individuals to apply in 
Vietnam rather than cross the border. 
 
¶5. (SBU) De Vincentis said there appear to be many factors leading 
individuals to cross the border.  These include difficulty in 
obtaining documentation required for the Visas-93 application in 
Vietnam, associated documentation fees and the cost for travel to 
HCMC, sponsors in the United States not executing the necessary 
documentation, and possible encouragement by Montagnard activists in 
the United States.  Interviews of border crossers suggest that the 
Montagnard Foundation Incorporated of South Carolina may be 
encouraging Montagnards to go to UNHCR in Cambodia rather than apply 
under Visas-93 in Vietnam. 
 
¶6. (SBU) De Vincentis and the Ambassador discussed a targeted 
information campaign in the Central Highlands to make the Visas-93 
program work better in Vietnam.  De Vincentis noted that the vast 
majority of arrivals were coming from three districts in Gia Lai 
Province and two districts in Dak Lak Province of the Central 
Highlands.  The Ambassador agreed with De Vincentis that a Visas-93 
information campaign would be worthwhile and said he would discuss 
it with the HCMC HRS, working with State's PRM Bureau. 
 
¶7. HCMC's HRS is already working on providing training to local 
civil registrar and passport office officials in the Central 
Highlands about U.S. resettlement requirements to include 
 
HANOI 00000203  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
information on who is eligible for Visas-93 and what documents the 
U.S. needs for resettlement processing. HRS has informally discussed 
the idea with MPS Department of Immigration and Emigration officials 
in HCMC as well as some local officials in the Central Highlands. 
PRM has provided HRS relevant English-language training materials 
that need to be translated into Vietnamese. 
 
¶8. (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate General Ho Chi Minh 
City. 
 
MICHALAK