Parliamentary Unit
HKK 243/2
RECEIVED 14!
NO. 51
134
PQ: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
INCE
DESK OFFICEA
IS THY
1788610 A620/10
No
1. Sir P Wall has put the attached question down for priority
written answer by the Secretary of State on 18 October. I submit
a draft reply, based on information received from Hong Kong.
as
2. During 1982, the number of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong has gradually increased, from a low of about 10,000 in April, a result of the diminishing number of resettlement opportunities and the increased outflow from Vietnam during the summer months. Moreover, the proportion of refugees going to Hong Kong has increased, so that, although the overall total for arrivals in the region has been reduced by 45% since 1981, the Hong Kong figure has remained the same. The monthly offtake by the UNHCR has dropped to 400 since June.
3. On 2 July, the Hong Kong Government introduced a new policy of confining all newly arrived refugees in closed camps where they would not have, as previously, opportunities for employment.
This
was intended to deter refugees from coming to Hong Kong, but there is no evidence yet to suggest that it has had any significant effect.
15 October
cc: PS/Lord Belstead
Mr Donald
Mr Burns, SEAD W83A
Humani
H McQuade
Hong Kong & General Department WH306 233.4381