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to fall. Last year when over 27,000 left under the ODP, boat people departures will probably for the first time have
been exceeded by ODP departures.
Το
We have also to take into consideration the arrival into
the UK of ship rescue cases. As you know we have a continuing commitment to accept into this country refugees who are rescued
by British merchant ships. The exact procedure for this is described in paragraphs 7 and 8 of our Memorandum. date over 3,000 Vietnamese have arrived here as a result of
ship rescues. New ship rescue arrivals qualify for family
reunion under our existing criteria and therefore are likely to generate further arrivals under the ODP. We cannot
under our existing international commitments limit the
numbers who enter this way but one of the advantages of the
RASRO Scheme (see question j) is that we are more likely
to receive ship rescue cases who have ties with Vietnamese
in this country; they will therefore generate less future
intake under the ODP.
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6