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FM HONG KONG 210530Z JAN 33
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 131 OF 21 JANUARY
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INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMIS GENEVA,
WASHINGTON, OTTAWA, CANBERRA, PARIS.
On distibuti
1/21/1
10
OUR TELNO 62: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
HKK 243/2
RECEIVED IN GIS NO. 51
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF REPLY AND SUPPLEMENTARIES GIVE2 1×JAN1283,
FOR SECURITY IN LEGCO ON 19 JANUARY.
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''I REGRET TO HAVE TO ANSWER THAT THERE NOW APPEAR TO BE AT MOST ONLY FOUR MAJOR WESTERN COUNTRIES WILLING TO RESETTLE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THEY ARE THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND FRANCE.
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GB 241
2. OF THESE ONLY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED SPECIFIC QUOTAS FOR 1933. CANADA WILL TAKE 175 FROM HONG KONG, 1700 FROM THAILAND, 900 FROM SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA AND 25 FROM THE PHILIPPINES, WITH 200 PLACES RESERVED FOR SHIP RESCUE AND EMERGENCIES. IN ADDITION CANADIAN FAMILIES AND GROUPS ARE EXPECTED TO SPONSOR SOME 500 FROM HONG KONG AND MACAU GIVING A MAXIMUM OF 675 FROM HERE FOR 1983 AS AGAINST 2070 IN 1981 AND 1088 IN 1982.
3. THE OTHER COUNTRIES WILL TAKE THOSE WHO QUALIFY UNDER THEIR NATIONAL POLICIES, IN THE CASE OF THE UNITED STATES UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 64,000 FROM THE REGION AS A WHOLE. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES | AM AFRIAD I CANNOT PREDICT WITH ANY ACCURACY THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT TO THESE COUNTRIES FOR 1983.
4. BUT I CAN SAY THAT THE OUTLOOK DOES NOT SEEM AT ALL PROMISING. THE NUMBERS RESETTLED FROM HONG KONG ARE FALLING, FROM 34,468 IN 1980, TO 17,818 IN 1981 AND TO 9,247 IN 1982. WITHIN 1982 THERE WAS AN EVEN MORE ALARMING TREND WITH THE NUMBERS FALLING STEADILY FROM 1,838 IN JANUARY TO 185 IN NOVEMBER. THERE WAS AN INCREASE TO 400 IN DECEMBER LARGELY AS A RESULT OF 109 GOING TO DENMARK. SO FAR THIS MONTH, ONLY 54 HAVE LEFT.
5. MEANWHILE, THE REFUGEES KEEP COMING. IT IS TRUE THAT IN 1982 ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG WERE 1,312 LESS THAT DEPARTURES, BUT BECAUSE OF THE STEEPLY FALLING TREND IN DEPARTURES DURING THE YEAR, THE REFUGEE POPULATION IN CAMPS IN HONG KONG FELL TO 9,844 IN APRIL THE LOWEST FIGURE FOR SOME YEARS, AND THEN PROCEEDED TO RISE TO 12,631 BY THE END OF DECEMBER.
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