GPS...1120
CONFIDENTIAL
+1KK 243/1 CONFIDENTIAL Give * ! NO. ST
-2 FEB 193 PASTRY
FM HONG KONG 3105DOZ JAN 1983
DESK ZA
INDEX
TO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
TELEGRAM NUMBER 165 OF 31 JANUARY 1983.
INFO BRUSSELS, GENEVA AND WASHINGTON
TOP COPY
FOR HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES
Lalon Taken
My. Marshall,
NEWS DEPT CH211
M
عليكم
3
HKG/GT/9
(2) PA (VRs &
ни).
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
Mr Synth
The
при
PRESENT POSITION
aire
Legal Achises are
being presumably weep hoph in
перс
REFUGEE POPULATION IN HONG KONG ON 11 JANUARY 1983 WAS 12,640, THE HIGHEST IN THE WHOLE REGION, HAVING RISEN FROM LESS THAN
10,000 IN APRIL 1983. (AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1982, THE HONG KONG REFUGEE POPULATION WAS 12,787 - 30.3 PER CENT OF THE REGIONAL CASE-
LOAD OF 42,177). IN 1982, 19 PER CENT OF THOSE LEAVING VIETNAM
CAME TO HONG KONG, COMPARED WITH THE AVERAGE OF 11 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. ON THE SAME DAY, 3,360 OF THOSE IN HONG
KONG WERE IN CLOSED CAMPS. WITH GREATLY REDUCED RESETTLEMENT PRO-
GRAMMES, THERE IS NO PROSPECT OF GETTING THE NUMBERS DOWN IN THE
FORESEEABLE FUTURE UNLESS A MAJOR NEW INITIATIVE IS TAKEN.
ARRIVALS
IN 1982, 7,935 REFUGEES ARRIVED IN HONG KONG, REPRESENTING A
DECREASE OF ONLY 6.3 PER CENT IN 1981 ARRIVALS OF 8.473. THIS
IS IN CONTRAST TO A DROP IN REGIONAL ARRIVALS IN THE FIRST
ELEVEN MONTHS OF 1982 OF 41 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING
PERIOD IN 1981. 7,301 (98.3 PER CENT) OF 1982 ARRIVALS WERE
ETHNIC VIETNAMESE, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM LEFT THEIR COUNTRY IN THE
HOPE OF JUMPING THE EMIGRATION QUEUE TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVING
STANDARDS RATHER THAN BECAUSE OF FEAR OF PERSECUTION. THEY ARE
ETHNIC VIETNAMESE FARMERS AND FISHERMEN WHO SPEAK ONLY (REPEAT ONLY) VIETNAMESE.
THE STATE OF THE PRESENT VIETNAMESE ECONOMY AND THE POLICIES OF
THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT ARE SUCH THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE
TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY FOR ECONOMIC REASONS AND THIS TREND IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE. ALTHOUGH THE VIETNAMESE HAVE TRIED TO STOP THIS OUTFLOW, THEY FIND IT DIFFICULT TO PATROL THEIR LONG COASTLINE EFFECTIVELY. CORRUPTION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL CONTINUES.
DEPARTURES
RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG HAS FALLEN DRAMATICALLY FROM 37,463 IN 1990 AND 17,318 IN 1981 TO 9,247 IN 1982 GIVING AN AVERAGE OF
CONFIDENTIAL
As for
/770 PER MONTH
as is necessor).