Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
Telephone 01- 233 4439
UNCLASSIFIED
P J Williamson
Deputy Secretary for Security
Security Branch
Government Secretariat HONG KONG
Your reference
Our reference
Date
HKK 243/4
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
17 JAN 1983
DESK C INDEX
No
18/1
TRY
Action Taken
GB
STATISTICS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
1.
13 January 1983
wp
We have just received Hong Kong saving telegram 535, giving a situation report on refugees in Hong Kong on 1 January, and some comparative regional statistics for 1982. These seem to us to contain a few inconsistencies that we cannot readily account for.
2.
In paragraph 3, for example, the Hong Kong figures show that there were 1108 more resettlements than arrivals (C-B) in Jan-Nov 1982. However, the total figures for 1 December 1982 are only down 173 from 1 January 1982. Furthermore, the December 1982 figures (paragraph 1) show 204 more resettlements than arrivals, but the total monthly figures for 1 December 1982 and 1 January 1983 only differ by 50. We have tried, but failed, to account for these differences through the 'China cases'.
3.
Unfortunately, it isn't only the Hong Kong figures that baffle us. According to our (perhaps simplistic) arithmetic, all the calculations in paragraph 3 are wrong. For example, the Philippines are stated to have reduced their total by 2433, but their 1982 resettlements only exceed arrivals by 530!
4.
As you know, we often use figures such as these for briefing and correspondence. We would, therefore, be grateful if you would ask someone to have a look at them, and either correct them or explain to us where we have gone wrong!
RJ F Hoare
Hong Kong and General Department