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CONFERENCE
CONFIDENTIAL
7273 - 1
3. IN JANUARY 1979, HMG AGREED TO ADMIT 1,500 REFUGEES FROM
· INDO-CHINA, IN ADDITION TO THE 300 OR SO ALREADY HERE. IT WAS
DECIDED THAT, BECAUSE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE TERRITORY
1,000 OF THESE SHOULD COME FROM HONG KONG. IN JULY 1979, AT UK INITIATIVE, A CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN GENEVA TO DEAL WITH THE
WORSENING REFUGEE CRISIS. AT THAT CONFERENCE, THE UK AGREED TO
TAKE A FURTHER QUOTA OF 10,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG
KONG.
AT THE SAME CONFERENCE A GENERAL CONSENSUS EMERGED, THOUGH
IT IS NOT RECORDED FORMALLY IN ANY DOCUMENT, TO CONFER GROUP
REFUGEE STATUS ON THOSE LEAVING INDO-CHINA BY BOAT. THE UK HAS
SO FAR ACCEPTED AROUND 19000 VIETNAMESE. WE HAVE CONTINUING
INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS TO RESETTLE FAMILY REUNION AND SHIP
RESCUE CASES.
III BEGIN UNDERLINING TREATMENT OF THE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG END
UNDERLINING
OPEN AND CLOSED CENTRES
5. ALL REFUGEES ARRIVING FROM VIETNAM ARE GRANTED REFUGEE STATUS
BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT UNDER A PROVISION OF THE IMMIGRATION
ORDINANCE (WHICH WAS SPECIALLY AMENDED FOR THIS PURPOSE).
INITIALLY THEY WERE ACCOMMODATED IN OPEN CENTRES, RUN JOINTLY BY
VOLUNTARY AGENCIES AND THE UNHCR AND LOCATED IN PREMISES WITHIN
THE URBAN AREAS PROVIDED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE
ABLE TO MOVE FREELY IN AND OUT OF THE CENTRES, AND TO SEEK
OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT. (OVER 90 PERCENT OF ADULT HEADS OF FAMILIES,
AND SINGLE ADULTS IN THE OPEN CENTRES ARE EMPLOYED).
6. INITIALLY THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT IN WESTERN COUNTRIES IN
RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS WAS HIGH: AVERAGE STAYS IN HONG KONG WERE
MONTHS. (PLEASE COULD YOU PROVIDE FIGURE)
IN 1982, HOWEVER, WHEN RESETTLEMENT LEVELS FELL SHARPLY, HONG KONG'S REFUGEE POPULATION ROSE ACCORDINGLY
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED THE CLOSED
CENTRE POLICY IN JULY OF THAT YEAR. SINCE THAT DATE, UNDER A
FURTHER SPECIAL PROVISION OF THE HONG KONG IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE,
ALL NEWLY ARRIVING REFUGEES HAVE BEEN PLACED IN CLOSED CENTRES,
WHERE THEY ARE DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY AND ARE NOT PERMITTED TO
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CONFIDENTIAL