CONFIDENTIAL
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
I
INTRODUCTION
POLICY PAPER
1.
This paper surveys the problem of Vietnamese refugees in Hong
Kong, attempts to predict how it will develop if policy remains as
it is now, and sets out possible options for improving the
position.
I I
2.
BACKGROUND
About 1.5 million people have left Indo-China since 1975, over a
million of them Vietnamese. Over half a million boat refugees from
Vietnam have arrived in first asylum countries including Hong Kong
and many more have certainly perished en route. Since 1979 over
72,000 Vietnamese have left Vietnam under the Orderly Departure
Programme (ODP) administered by the UNHCR with Vietnamese Government
cooperation. Currently over 160,000 Indo-Chinese (some 36,000
Vietnamese) await resettlement
in camps in the area.
104,000 Vietnamese have reached Hong Kong since 1975; none have been
turned
have been placed in
Hong Kong have themselves
away.
elsewhere.
All
camps pending resettlement
accepted 14,500 displaced
Indo-Chinese, mostly from Vietnam, for permanent settlement.
Kong's refugee population has now remained steady at 12-13,000 for
about two years.
refugees in any of the
resettlement, eg Malaysia
(2,000).
This
Hong
is more than the numbers of Vietname se
South East Asian countries
(9,000), Indonesia (7,000),
awaiting
Philippines
3.
in
It was
UK RESPONSE TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM : 1979 GENEVA CONFERENCE
In January 1979, HMG agreed to admit 1,500 refugees from
Indo-China,
addition to the 300 or SO already here.
because of
responsibilities our
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
decided that,
worsening refugee crisis. At that conference, the UK agreed to
a
further
of quota
10,000 Vietname se
general consensus emerged,
from refugees
Hong Kong.
is not though it
At the same conference a
recorded formally in any document, to confer group refugee status
on
CONFIDENTIAL