OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS THIS IS INEVITABLY A SEVERE POLICY IN TERMS OF SPLITTING FAMILIES AND SEPARATING CHILDREN FROM PARENTS AND EVEN SPOUSES. CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS IT MEANS THAT CHINESE IMMI- GRANTS ARE TREATED WORSE THAN VIETNAMESE, ATTRACTING CRITICISM
FROM THE PREDOMINANTLY CHINESE POPULATION:
(D) WE HAVE ABSORBED 14,000 INDOCHINESE SINCE 1975.
OUR ANSWER TO LOCAL CRITICISM OF THE CONTRASTING TREATMENT OF ARRIVALS FROM CHINA AND VIETNAM IS THAT THE VRS ARE HERE TEMPORARILY
PENDING RESETTLEMENT. THIS LINE IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO MAIN-
TAIN SINCE 35 PER CENT OF THOSE NOW IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN HERE
FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS AND THEIR RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS ARE MINIMAL.
COST
LOCAL CRITICISM ALSO FOCUSES ON THE HIGH COSTS OF PROVIDING EVEN
TEMPORARY-ASYLUM. SINCE DECEMBER 1978 OUR POLICY OF PROVIDING VRS
WITH FIRST ASYLUM HAS COST HKG US DOLLARS 67 MILLION OR POUNDS
30 MILLION. IN ADDITION UNHCR HAS SPENT US DOLLARS 23 MILLION
(POUNDS 11 MILLION) AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES US DOLLARS 8 MILLION
(POUNDS 4 MILLION). THIS YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE HIGHER COSTS OF
CLOSED CENTRES, HKG'S BILL WILL BE US DOLLARS 18 MILLION (POUNDS 10 MILLION), UNHCR'S MAY BE US DOLLARS 4 MILLION (POUNDS
2.7 MILLION) AND VOLAGS' US DOLLARS 3.5 MILLION (POUNDS 0.3
MILLION).
OPTIONS OPEN TO HONG KONG
RESETTLEMENT
HONG KONG WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS POTENTIAL RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES
AND THE UNHCR FOR MORE PLACES. OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS THE ABSENCE
OF A UK QUOTA CREATES PROBLEMS IN THIS RESPECT CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS
IT IS UNLIKELY THAT A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF NEW PLACES WILL BE
FOUND WITHOUT AN INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE ON RESETTLEMENT.
NEVERTHELESS, THE UNHCR HAS ADVISED THAT HKG GHOULD USE ITS LONDON,
BRUSSLES, GENEVA, WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK OFFICES TO APPLY INCREASING
PRESSURE ON RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR
OFF-TAKE FROM HONG KONG.
CLOSED CENTRES
IN AN ATTEMPT TO DETER REFUGEES FROM COMING TO HONG KONG, CLOSED
CENTRES WERE INTRODUCED ON 2 JULY 1982. BUT THERE ARE FEW INDICAT-
IONS SO FAR THAT THE NEW POLICY IS DETERRING ANY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.
AT THE FORECAST RATES OF ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURE, THERE WILL BE IN-
SUFFICIENT ROOM IN THE CENTRES AFTER AUTUMN 1983, UNLESS NEW CENTRES
ARE PROVIDED. THE CURRENT SMALL NUMBER OF DEPARTURES TO RESETTLE-
MENT COUNTRIES FROM THE CLOSED CENTRES (ONLY 540 HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED
OUT OF THE 5,271 WHO HAVE ARRIVED SINCE 2 JULY 1982) MAY WELL LEAD
TO TROUBLE IN THE CENTRES, AS THE OCCUPANTS FIND THEMSELVES FACED
CONFIDENTIAL
/WITH.