RAKK 243/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
3- NOV 1983
REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA : MEETING WITH MR ROSK OFFICE INSETHEGISTRY
2 NOVEMBER
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
(171)
ESSENTIAL FACTS
1. Hong Kong has about 13,500 refugees awaiting resettlement. This is the highest boat refugee population in the region (29% of the regional total). Current figure is 3,600 more than April 1982. 33% of Hong Kong's refugees have been there more
than 2 years.
2.
Since July 1982 Hong Kong Government have confined all new arrivals in closed camps, in an attempt to defer would-be refugees from setting out from Vietnam. After a slow start, policy appears now to be having some effect.
In
3. We understand from Hong Kong Government that US offtake from Hong Kong is set at 300 per month by State Department "quota". This figure is apparently based on the quota of Philippines visas available for the Refugee Processing Centre in Bataan. practice, the US do not always meet the quota: eg US offtake for October falls short of the quota by 100 because of shortage of INS interviewers. They are also worried that next year American
attention will be diverted to Thailand and the Khmer, leaving
Hong Kong to Canadians and Australians.
4. Hong Kong Government are particularly anxious to rid themselves of "residual cases". They would like resettlement
countries to give these priority over new arrivals.
CODE 18-77
;
Provided for SEAD I
response to the Began's
minute
d 28 Oct.
out (69) on this He.
au