COMMENT
5.
THE ARRIVAL SEASON APPEARS TO HAVE ENDED
IN SEPTEMBER
WHEN ONLY 289 ARRIVED. THIS IS THE LOWEST ARRIVAL FIGURE SINCE
MARCH BUT REPRESENTS A SLIGHT INCREASE COMPARED WITH LAST SEPTEMBER'S
284.
6.
499 LEFT FOR OVERSEAS RESETTLEMENT, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
DEPARTURES IN A MONTH SO FAR THIS YEAR. THIS IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO
THE USA TAKING MORE DIRECT CASES (55), TO AN UNUSUALLY HIGH OFFTAKE
TO CANADA (79) (TO CATCH UP ON A 3-MONTH BACKLOG) AND ALSO TO
DENMARK TAKING 21 SHIP RESCUES FROM THE 'ELISABETH MAERSK'. IT IS
ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 380 WILL DEPART IN OCTOBER.
7.
SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE CLOSED CENTRE POLICY ON 2 JULY
1982, 7,033 HAVE ARRIVED, INCLUDING 506 SHIP RESCUE CASES. OF THESE
ARRIVALS, ONLY 1,279 HAVE LEFT FOR RESETTLEMENT, OF WHOM 398 HAVE
BEEN SHIP-RESCUE CASES. THE TOTAL REFUGEE POPULATION IN CLOSED
CENTRES IS NOW 5,933. THIS INCLUDES 494 ACCOMMODATED IN THE NEW
CLOSED CENTRE AT HEI LING CHAU WHICH OPENED ON 19 SEPTEMBER.
ANOTHER 2,000 WILL MOVE FROM CHI MA WAN TO HEI LING CHAU IN OCTOBER,
UP
BRINGING THE CENTRE/TO CAPACITY AND PERMITTING THE UPPER CENTRE AT
CHI MA WAN TO REVERT TO ITS FORMER ROLE AS A MINIMUM SECURITY PRISON.
8.
AND 2 BABIES WERE BORN IN SEPTEMBER.
1 EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AMONG AUGUST ARRIVALS
THE EX-CHINA POPULATION IS NOW
275.
YOUDE
MINIMAL
HKD
SEAD
U20
COPIES TO":
HKGD.- LONDON