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Laven't Suggerled ..7 - HK has!!
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CONFIDENTIAL
HMG IS NOT ACCEPTING ITS RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS SITUATION.
13. IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THAT SINCE THERE ARE ONLY 11,500 REFUGEES IN HONG KONG, THEY COULD EASILY BE INTEGRATED WITH THE 5 AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE HERE. THIS IGNORES THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES WHICH SUCH ACTION WOULD RESULT. FIRST, IT WOULD MEAN THAT THE REMAINING RESETTLEMENT COUNTIES WOULD WASH THEIR HANDS OF HONG KONG. THEY WOULD, WITH VARYING DEGREES OF PLEASURE, REALLOCATE THEIR RESETTLE- MENT PLACES TO OTHER MORE POLITICALLY IMPORTANT COUNTRIES IN THE REGION. THEREFORE ANY SUGGESTION FROM HMG THAT HONG KONG SHOULD
ACCEPT ALL OF A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE PRESENT VIETNAMESE REFUGLE POPULATION WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATE AND DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES FOR HONG ONG. ITS MERE SUGGESTION BY HMG, WOULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION
/ OR AT BEST, A MORATORIUM ON RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG.
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14. SECOND, PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG IS STRONGLY AGAINST THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE RESENTMENT THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S TREATMENT OF THOSE FOR WHOM THE LOCAL POPULATION HAVE NO CULTURAL ETHNIC NOR FAMILY TIES, WHEN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATNTS FROM CHINA, WITH WHOM THEY DO HAVE STRONG TIES, ARE REPATRIATED IMMEDIA- TELY. THE SUGGESTION, THEREFORE, THAT HONG KONG SHOULD ACCEPT THESE PEOPLE, WOULD BE MET WITH CRITICISM AND POSSIBLY SOME CONSIDERABLE HOSTILITY IN HONG KONG.
15. THIRD, THIS IGNORES THE FACT THAT HONG KONG HAS ALREADY ACCEP- TED 14500 DISPLACED PEOPLE FROM INDO-CHINA SINCE 1975 (MOSTLY DETWEEN 1375 AND 1973). GIVEN HONG KONGS' CROWDED ENVIRONMENT, WITH
A POPULATION DENSITY 200 TIMES THAT OF THE US AND 20 TIMES THAT OF THE UK, THIS MEANS THAT HONG KONG HAS THE GREATEST PER CAPITA INTEGRATION IN THE WORLD. HONG KONG IS FACED WITH IMMENSE IMMIGRA- TION PRESSURES, FOR EXAMPLE WE HAD 500000 NEW IMMIGRANTS BETWEEN 1973 AND 1983. THEREFORE WE CANNOT ABSORB MANY MORE. HONG KONG CONTINUES TO ACCEPT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WITH CLOSE FAMILY TIES IN THE TERRITORY. IT IS INEVITABLE THAT IF HONG KONG WERE TO BEGIN TO ACCEPT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES THE ARRIVALS IN THE TERRITORY WOULD INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT HONG KONG'S HUMANITARIAN TREATMENT OF REFUGEES IS BEING EXPLOITED BY OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION. LOCAL ABSORPTION WOULD GIVE THEM ADDED ENCOURAGEMENT.
16. FINALLY, ANY SUGGESTION FROM HMG THAT HONG KONG SHOULD ABSORB ITS REFUGEE POPULATION WOULD BE SEEN AS AN ABDICATION OF HMG'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG. GIVEN THE FIRM STATEMENTS MADE REGARD-
4 CONFIDENTIAL
-INC