THE US has given up hope of persuading boat people in Asian camps to return home and is pinning its hopes on a new rescreening plan, a senior official said yesterday.
United States officials were talking to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the region's first asylum countries to try to reach an agreement on a 'track-two' process, said Assistant Secretary of State Phyllis Oakley.
Under the scheme, boat people would return voluntarily in exchange for another chance at being screened for refugee status by US immigration officials in Vietnam.
Ms Oakley told a House of Representatives hearing on the boat people that officials needed to go to Hong Kong's camps and 're-educate' migrants on returning voluntarily.
She suggested the proposed rescreening might help the Comprehensive Plan of Action deal with the 40,000 migrants in detention camps.
She also accused congressmen of having helped sabotage repatriation.