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THE HOME AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE ON RACE RELATIONS AND IMMIGRATION 125
4 February 1985]
[Continued
2. We have countered these criticisms by pointing out that the UK has by no means neglected its responsibilities in this respect: it has already accepted over 18,500 Vietnamese refugees, mostly from Hong Kong. When added to the 14,000 who have been resettled in Hong Kong itself, this represents a substantial contribution towards the international resettlement effort.
3. There is no guarantee that resettlement countries would commit themselves to take larger numbers of Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong in the event that an additional significant number were admitted to Britain. The statements reported above suggest that the effect of the UK accepting a further quota might indeed be to encourage other countries to increase their off-take from Hong Kong.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
23 October 1984
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