CONFIDENTIAL
5. THE USG RESETTLEMENT OF ABOUT 500 REFUGEES A MONTH FROM HONG KONG UT OF AN INDOCHINESE REFUGEE POPULATION THERE OF ABOUT 30.000 COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH THE USG RESETTLE- MENT OF ABOUT 2,300 A MONTH FROM THAILAND WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT 200,000.
6. THE USG IS RESETTLING PROPORTIONATELY MORE REFUGEES FROM MALAYSIA, WHICH HAS A REFUGEE POPULATION OF OVER 70,000 THAN IT IS FROM HONG KONG, IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE THE MALAYSIANS TO CONTINUE ALLOWING THE REFUGEES TO LAND. MALAYSIA ALLOWED OVER 30.000 TO LAND IN APRIL AND MAY, AL- THOUGH IT PUSHED OFF MANY THOUSANDS MORE IN THOSE MONTHS. IN ONE RECENT INSTANCE, A BOAT REFUSED PERMISSION TO LAND BY THE MALAYSIANS WAS SWAMPED, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF OVER 100 LIVES. THE USG HOPES, BY CONTINUING TO ACCEPT RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBERS FROM MALAYSIA, TO PRECLUDE SIMILAR TRAGEDIES FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE.
CHRISTOPHER
BT
#4399
COTIAL