1 Vietnam and the Philippines signed an agreement Sunday for the orderly repatriation of Vietnamese who fled their homeland but cannot qualify for political refugee status abroad.
2 Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam and Philippine Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo also signed a mutual cooperation agreement and both called on all countries to refrain from acts that would disturb the peace in the South China Sea.
3 The orderly repatriation agreement, also signed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, seeks to deal with Vietnamese 'boat people' who sailed to the Philippines but cannot qualify for settlement in the United States, Canada or other countries.
4 A joint statement of the three parties said the arrangement was in line with the 'comprehensive plan of action' adopted by the Internatinal Conference on Indochinese Refugees. It requires the repatriation of asylum seekers who cannot show they face persecution in their homeland.
5 The joint statement said 2,800 'non-refugees' now are housed at the Philippine First Asylum Camp in Palawan, 370 miles (592 kilometers) southwest of Manila.
6 Signatories to the document would not say how they would deal with those who refuse to go.
7 'They would be handled with humanity and dignity,' Foreign Undersecretary Rodolfo Severino said.
8 A number of the asylum seekers have said they would prefer to remain in the Philippines. At least 40 of them were reported to have fled the camp in Palawan by acting as delegates to the World Youth Day in Manila last month.
9 Reports also said some of those who formerly stayed at a now closed refugee processing center in Bataan province, 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Manila, have fled to the hills to escape repatriation.
10 Indochinese refugees in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia also have resisted repatriation despite the improved political and economic situation in Vietnam.
11 In a news conference, Romulo and Cam said they have reaffirmed their countries' commitment toward a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
12 Cam said countries involved in South China Sea disputes should refrain from acts that would 'disturb the status quo.'
13 Romulo added: 'Whoever resorts to force (in settling disputes) loses all legal and moral rights to make a claim.'
14 Cam and Romulo did not mention any country but they were obviously referring to China, which has repeatedly asserted that it has sole claim on the Spratly and Paracel Islands, both in the South China Sea.
15 China, Vietnam and the Philippines all maintain occupation forces in the Spratlys and Vietnam and China have been at odds over the Paracels.
16 Romulo had said earlier it would be better if the dispute over the Spratlys were settled with the participation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since other ASEAN members like Malaysia and Brunei also claim part of the island group.
17 Romulo said Vietnam's formal entry into the six-nation ASEAN is expected at the group's ministerial meeting in July.

A joint statement of the three parties said the arrangement was in line with the " comprehensive plan of action " adopted by the Internatinal Conference on Indochinese Refugees . It requires the repatriation of asylum seekers who cannot show they face persecution in their homeland .
" comprehensive plan of action "
What is this comprehensive plan of action?