CONFIDENTIAL
GR 150
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 191200Z
FM HONG KONG 190945Z JUL 82
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 772 OF 19 JULY
INFO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
9
YOUR TELNO 552 OF 16 JULY.
PQS: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
HKK 243/2
INDEX
NO
196
20/7
Af2017
See D
OUR SUGGESTED REPLIES TO MR WRIGGLESWORTH'S QUESTIONS ARE - (A) IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PREDICT WHEN THE REMAINING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WILL BE RESETTLED. HONG KONG'S REFUGEE POPULATION IS NOW INCREASING AS NEW ARRIVALS EXCEED DEPARTURES FOR RESETTLEMENT, BY THE END OF 1982 THE REFUGEE POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AS IT WAS AT THE END OF 1981. BECAUSE REFUGEES CONTINUE TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG AND BECAUSE RESETTLEMENT PLACES ARE DIMINISHING, HONG KONG NO LONGER ALLOWS REFUGEES TO TAKE UP EMPLOYMENT. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO DISCOURAGE REFUGEES FROM SETTING OUT FROM VIETNAM, GIVEN THAT MANY DO SO FOR REASONS OTHER THAN PERSECUTION.
(B) THE NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG AWAITING RESETTLEMENT ON 17 JULY WAS 11,358. THERE WERE ALSO 486 AWAITING REPATRIATION TO CHINA, WHERE IT IS BELIEVED THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY SETTLED BEFORE COMING TO HONG KONG ILLEGALLY.
YOUDE
MINIMAL
HK & GD
SEAD
CONFIDENTIAL
20