CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
3 i AUG 1983
DUSK OFFICER
REGISTRY
(124)
GRS 800
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 30100OZ AUG 83
TO IMMEDIATE C.G. NEW YORK
TELEGRAM NUMBER 29 OF 30 AUGUST
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
FOR DORWARD FROM LEEKS.
YOUR TELEX TO WILLIAMSON OF 29 AUGUST 1983: NY/SB/1:
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
пирувам
243/1
THE FOLLOWING US SUPPLIED IN ANSWER TO YOUR SPECIFIC
QUERES INSOFAR AS TIME ALLOWS:
(A) SPEAKING NOTE ON VRS.
1. 13,700 VIETNAMESE, INCLUDING 5,800 IN CLOSED CENTRES, ARE NOW WN HONG KONG, COMPARED WITH 9,800 LAST APRIL. IF THE PRESENT LOW LEVEL OF RESETTLEMENT CONTINUES, THIS TOTAL IS LIKELY TO
INCREASE IN THE FUTURE. HONG KONG ALREADY HAS THE HIGHEST
POPULATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN THE REGION (27 PERCENT
OF THE TOTAL) AND RECEIVED 13 PERCENT OF DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM
N 1983.
2. DEPARTURES FROM HONG KONG FOR RESETTLEMENT DROPPED FROM
37,000 IN 1980 TO 18,000 IN 1981 AND 9,000 IN 1982. WITHIN 1982 THEY FELL STEADILY FROM 1,838 IN JANUARY TO 185 IN NOVEMBER, PHCKING UP SLIGHTLY TO 400 DECEMBER. DEPARTURES ARE AVERAGING
300 PER MONTH IN 1983.
3. HONG KONG IS ONE OF THE MOSE DENSELY POPULATED PLACES IN
THE WORLD.
4. T HAS CUT ITS OWN NATURAL POPULATION GROWTH, TO 1.2 PERCENT
IN 1982.
5. LEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA HAS BEEN HALVED RECENTLY TO
27,000 A YEAR. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HAS ALSO BEEN REDUCED DRAMATICALLY BUT ONLY AS THE RESULT OF A HARSH POLICY OF
REPATRIATING ALL ALLEGAL IMMIGRANTS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR
NOT THEY HAVE CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS LEGALLY IN HONG KONG.
6. HONG KONG HAS ABSORBED SOME 14,000 REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS FROM INDO-CHINA SINCE THE FALL OF SAIGON IN APRIL 1975.
FOR ITS SIZE THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION. IT CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO ACCEPT ANY MORE, PARTICULARLY AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF TS HARSH POLICY ON IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL
17.
pa