Master’s Degree programme – Second Cycle (D.M. 270/2004) in International Relations Final Thesis Vietnamese Refugee Crisis International Response and Legal Frameworks Supervisor Ch. Prof. Roberto Peruzzi Co-Supervisor Ch. Prof. Duccio Basosi Graduand Enrica Cesaratto Matriculation Number 832936 Academic Year 2015 / 2016 Contents Abstract...................................................................................................................I Introduction...........................................................................................................1 1. Historical Background.....................................................................................7 1.1 Vietnam in XVII and VXIII Centuries................................................... 7 1.2 Awakening of Nationalist Sentiments...................................................8 1.3 Nationalism and Communism, a combination: Ho Chi Minh..............9 1.4 Japanese Occupation.....................................................…....................11 1.5 The return of Ho Chi Minh and the formation of the Viet Minh.........13 1.6 Division of Vietnam..............................................................................14 1.7 The Indochina War...............................................................................15 1.8 Two Vietnams...................................................................................... 16 1.9 The National Liberation Front, NLF....................................................19 1.10 American involvement and consequent War..…................................19 2. The Three Waves of Refugees: Chronology, Political Context and Escapees' Socio-Political Backgrounds...........................................................22 2.1 First Wave of Refugees: Operation Frequent Wind. 22 2.1.1 Composition of the First Wave: who the refugees were and why they did escape........................................................................26 2.2 Second Wave of Refugees, the “Boat People”: 1978-1979...................28 2.2.1 Internal factors for Escape: Reeducation Camps and NEZ..28 2.2.2 Economic Situation................................................................29 2.2.3 The War with Cambodia and China.......................................31 2.2.4 Pirates' attacks.......................................................................34 2.2.5 The Second Wave, a “torrent of refugees”.............................35 2.3 The Third Wave of Refugees: 1980-1989............................................37 2.3.1 The 1979 Geneva Conference Aftermath and the Third Wave................................................................................................37 2.3.2 Unaccompanied Minors.......................................................38 3.1 International Awareness.............................................................................42 3.1 ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Bali, June 1979...................................42 3.2 UN Conference in Geneva, July 1979..................................................43 3.3 The Orderly Departure Program.........................................................47 3.4 The Amerasian Issue: Immigration Act, October 1982 and Homecoming Act, December 1987.............................................................51 3.5 DISERO Program.................................................................................53 3.6 Anti-piracy Solutions...........................................................................54 4. The International Legal Framework...........................................................57 4.1 Definitions and Concepts.....................................................................57 4.1.1 Refugee Definition and the 1951 Refugee Convention...........57 4.1.2 Refugee Definition under UNHCR Statute............................58 4.1.3 Refugees, Migrants and Asylum-seekers...............................59 4.2 The Southeast Asian and Vietnamese Framework..............................61 5. The Comprehensive Plan of Action, CPA, June 1989.............................66 5.1 Preparatory Meetings in Bangkok, 1988 and Kuala Lumpur, 1989....66 5.2 The Second Geneva Conference, June 1989 and the CPA..................67 5.2.1 The Principle of First Asylum, the Halt of Clandestine Departures and Voluntary Return of non-refugees.......................68 5.2.2 Refugee Status Determination: foundation and procedures......................................................................................68 5.2.3 Resettlement and Repatriation Commitments......................71 5.3 The Aftermath of the CPA....................................................................73 5.4 Evaluation of the CPA.........................................................................77 6. Countries of First Asylum: policies adopted and life in refugee camps.................................................................................................................. .80 6.1 General Overview................................................................................. 80 6.2 Malaysia...............................................................................................83 6.2.1 Malaysian Policies until mid-1979.........................................83 6.2.2 Policies following the UN Meeting in Geneva, 1979.….........85 6.2.3 Policies following 1989 Geneva Conference.........................86 6.2.4 The Camps: Palau Bidong and Palau Besar............…...........86 6.3 Thailand............................................................................................... 87 6.3.1 Initial Response.…..................................................................87 6.3.2 Cambodian Refugees.….........................................................89 6.3.3 Policies after Geneva Conference in 1979.............................90 6.3.4 The camp: Songkhla...............................................................91 6.4 Hong Kong...........................................................................................92 6.4.1 First Vietnamese arrivals....................................................... 92 6.4.2 Harsh Policies of the 1980s................................................... 93 6.4.1 The camp: Kowloon............................................................... 96 6.5 The Processing Centers: Galang, Indonesia and Bataan, Philippines.................................................................................................97 7. Resettlement Countries...........................................................................99 7.1 The United States................................................................................. 99 7.1.1 Legislation and Measures: The Indochina Migration and Refugee Act, 1975 and the Refugee Act, 1980................................99 7.1.2 Resettlement Procedures..................................................... 108 7.2 France..................................................................................................111 7.2.1 Initial Reception: the role of France Terre d'Asile...............113 7.2.2 A Boat for Vietnam, the Ile de Lumière...............................116 7.2.3 Resettlement Procedures: Integration and Employment....118 7.3 Italian Involvement 121 7.3.1 Legal Context 121 7.3.2 Reception and Resettlement: the Role of Caritas 7.3.3 “Warship for humanitarian missions”: Operazione Vietnam.........................................................................................131 Conclusions..................................................................................................... ...136 Bibliography...................................................................................................... 140 Abstract Il Vietnam è un Paese la cui storia è caratterizzata da continue lotte per l'unità e la libertà territoriale, ma fu per l'indipendenza politica che la Nazione sostenne le battaglie maggiori, fronteggiando minacce provenienti sia dall'esterno che dall'interno. I conflitti che più recentemente l'hanno coinvolto in tal senso ci riportano indietro agli anni della Guerra d'Indocina con i francesi, e la più nota Guerra del Vietnam con gli americani, lotte in cui ad aggiudicarsi la vittoria fu la fazione comunista del Paese, sostenuta da un radicato orgoglio nazionale che da sempre accompagnò il Paese nella sua resistenza all'influenza imperialistica occidentale. Tuttavia, la conquista della città di Saigon da parte dell'esercito del Nord, avvenuta il 30 aprile, 1975 e comportò quindi l'unificazione del Paese, diede inizio ad un esodo di preoccupanti dimensioni che, per circa due decenni, investì, sconvolgendoli, non soltanto i Paesi limitrofi, ma anche diverse Nazioni dell'Occidente. Un capitolo introduttivo alla storia del Paese presenta i momenti e le figure salienti che guidarono il Paese lungo il percorso di creazione del sentimento patriottico Vietnamita, arrivando fino al termine del conflitto con gli americani e la trionfante avanzata comunista verso il sud del Paese. Partendo da questo momento storico viene ad instaurarsi il contesto particolare del lavoro, il quale si pone l'obiettivo di analizzare i fatti successivi alla presa del potere dei Comunisti, nello specifico, la sconcertante diaspora che si originò in seguito a questo cambio politico, e che perdurò fino ai primi anni 90. L'attenzione delle pagine che seguono, dunque, non verrà posta tanto sulle cause scatenanti tale esodo, quanto sulla sua composizione, e successivamente sulla sua gestione e le relative