ARRIVALS
2. IN 1982, 7,840 REFUGEES ARRIVED IN HONG KONG, REPRESENTING DECREASE OF ONLY 7 PER CENT FROM THE 8,470 ARRIVALS IN 1981. HIS IS IN CONTRAST TO A DROP IN ARRIVALS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
IN 1982 OF 42 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 1981. OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS FOR YOUR INFORMATION, VIRTUALLY ALL THE 1982 ARRIVALS WERE ETHNIC VIETNAMESE, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM LEFT VIETNAM TO IMPROVE THEIR
LIVING STANDARDS RATHER THAN THROUGH FEAR OF PERSECUTION ON POL-
ITICAL, RELIGIOUS OR RACIAL GROUNDS. THEY ARE MAINLY LAND WORKERS AND FISHERMEN WHO SPEAK ONLY VIETNAMESE. CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS
3. THE STATE OF THE PRESENT VIETNAMESE ECONOMY AND THE POLICIES
OF THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT ARE SUCH THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO LEAVE. ALTHOUGH THE VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES HAVE TRIED TO STOP THIS OUTFLOW, THEY FIND IT DIFFICULT TO PATROL THEIR LONG COAST- LINE EFFECTIVELY. CORRUPTION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL CONTINUES. ARRIVALS USUALLY REACH THEIR PEAK DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, AND 1983 LOOKS LIKELY TO FOLLOW THIS PATTERN. AFTER 103 ARRIVALS IN MARCH, WE
HAD 549 IN APRIL. ON THIS BASIS WE MAY EXPECT BETWEEN 2,000 AND
4,000 OVER THE NEXT 5 MONTHS.
DEPARTURE
4. RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG HAS FALLEN DRAMATICALLY FROM 37,468
IN 1980 AND 17,818 IN 1981 TO 9,247 IN 1982, GIVING AN AVERAGE
OF 770 PER MONTH IN 1982. THE FIGURE HAS DROPPED TO ONLY 300 PER
MONTH IN 1983 AS A RESULT OF THE REDUCTION IN THE US AND CANADIAN
QUOTAS. MONTHLY RESETTLEMENT IN 1982 FELL STEADILY FROM 1,838 IN
JANUARY TO 185 IN NOVEMBER. OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS BY WAY OF BACK-
GROUND, THE MAIN REASON IS THAT SINCE APRIL 1982, THE USA HAS
APPLIED TIGHTER IMMIGRATION CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION OF INDO-CHINESE
REFUGEES. THIS INCLUDES REJECTION OF THOSE WHO DO NOT MEET THE US
DEFINITION OF REFUGEE AND EVEN THOSE WITHIN THIS DEFINITION WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS THEY HAVE CLOSE RELATIVES IN THE USA OR HAVE
BEEN PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE US GOVERNMENT. SINCE THE INTRO-
DUCTION OF THESE NEW CRITERIA, THE OFFTAKE TO USA, THE MAIN RESETTLE-
MENT COUNTRY FOR HONG KONG VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, HAS BEEN REDUCED
ALLM FDAM