CONFIDENTIAL
IV
9.
PROBLEMS OVER RESETTLEMENT
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Of the 58,543 Vietnamese who arrived in Hong Kong in the first
half of 1979 84% were ethnic Chinese. They were considered by
resettlement countries to fall under the accepted definition of
"refugees" through their persecution for reasons of race. After
1979 however the proportion of ethnic Chinese arriving in Hong Kong
dropped to 2-3%. Initially most of the ethnic Vietnamese arriving
in Hong Kong were from South Vietnam; they were readily accepted by
Western countries as refugees, on grounds of political persecution.
Now however the proportion of Northerners is increasing.
Resettlement countries are reluctant to accept that Northerners are
true refugees fleeing from political oppression when, unlike those
from the South, they have lived under communist rule for 30 years.
They regard them instead as "economic migrants" who are simply in
search of a better future. Surveys conducted by the Hong Kong
Immigration Department have indeed shown that 54% of new arrivals
since early 1983 have left Vietnam for economic reasons, whereas
only 26% have done so far political reasons. (The remaining 20%
have left for other reasons, eg to seek family reunion). However,
as long as the Vietnamese refuse to take them back, it is arguable
that the "economic migrants" should continue to be classified as
refugees, as is consistent with the understanding reached during the
1979 Geneva Conference, even though they may be subject to neither
ethnic nor political persecution.
*
(FOOTNOTE)
The 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees defines a refugee as any person who "owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the
country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is
unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or
who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his
former habitual residence as
is unable or, such events,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it".
a
result of
CONFIDENTIAL