refugees (A/AC 96/624) "Hong Kong shelters the
largest number of Vietnamese refugees in the
regi
and a special effort on their behalf
is called for".
4. Hong Kong is most grateful to the resettlement
countries for the continued help and I must
particularly mention in this context, the USA,
Australia and Canada. Whatever the consensus may
be as to the appropriateness of resettlement as
the durable solution to this problem, the fact
remains that a continuing resettlement programme
will be essential for some time to come.
5. In the past year two particular aspects of
the problem have emerged, still more permanently
than before. One is the so called "hard core",
the considerable backlog of people who are
effectively stuck in Hong Kong, and whose only
hope at present is that they will one day be
accepted for resettlement. Of the 14,000 such
people now in Hong Kong, 40% have been there for
more than 2 years; 33% for more than three years
and a very worrying total of no less than 25%
have been there for more than 4 years.
that priority be given to these people.
need is acute.
6.
I urge
Their
Secondly, in the past year the percentage of
fugitives from North Vietnam has increased
dramatically. In 1981 they were 17% of the total.
In 1982 22%. But so far this year they have
accounted for no less than 45% These people are
ethnic Vietnamese; they have very few if any
relatives outside Vietnam: they have had no
previous contacts outside their homeland which
/ would give
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