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Mr Pym agreed in January 1983 that despite this closed camp policy should continue, and legislation bringing it into effect should not be disallowed, provided that it was reviewed regularly and revoked as soon as the situation permitted. At our request, the Hong Kong Government now considering ways of amending camp rules, to reduce
risk of international criticism under (ii) above. However
amendments will have no effect on breach of our obligations
resulting from (i).
4.
Closed camps have attracted little Parliamentary or press
criticism in UK. In Hong Kong generally supported by public; many resent acceptance of boat people from Vietnam when illegal immigrants from China (with whom people of Hong Kong have closer
ethnic and social ties) are sent back when apprehended. UNHCR do not approve in principle of closed camps but are satisfied with how they are run; they contribute substantially towards their cost
(HK$12.8m (£1.1m) out of estimated $106.5m (£9.3m) in 1983).
Resettlement
5. 1979 Geneva Conference on Refugees and Misplaced Persons in
South East Asia (July 1979) led to major international resettlement
effort; Hong Kong's refugee population fell from peak of 68,000 in
September 1979 to just under 10,000 in April 1982. Hong Kong itself resettled over 14,000 refugees but cannot absorb more. Over past
year main resettlement countries, particularly US, have reduced
intake, partly because they consider majority of boat people now leaving Vietnam to be 'economic migrants' rather than genuine
refugees fleeing political persecution. (They tend now to come from
northern and central rather than southern Vietnam and are less
likely to be ethnic Chinese or from professional or business classes
than were those who joined first exodus.)
UK Policy
6.
In 1979 UK agreed to take 11,500 of Hong Kong's boat people.
Quota filled by last summer; total of Vietnamese resettled in UK,
including ship rescue and family reunion cases, is now 17,000. But resettlement in UK not successful. Boat people have few historical
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