FCO 40/2100
(B) CONTROL OF FISHING JUNKS HAS BEEN TIGHTENED BY USING THE VESSEL'S LICENCE BOOK. PREVIOUSLY THE BOOK WAS VALMID FOR PERMODS
OF SHIX MONTHS. BUT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, PERMISSION FOR
FISHING OPERATIONS IS GIVEN ONLY ON A TRIP-BY-TRIP BASES. HIRONICALLY MT *MS THOUGHT THAT THESE NEW ARRANGEMENTS HAVE RESULTED IN SOME FHISHERMEN LEAVING THE COUNTRY BEFORE EVEN STRICTER MEASURES ARE
INTRODUCED.
(C) THERE ARE WIDESPREAD RUMOURS THAT MORE SEVERE PUNISHMENT WILL BE IMPOSED ON ANY WHO LEAVE WIETNAM HILLEGALLY. WHEN WE PURSUED
THIS QUESTION WITH
THE REFUGEES WHO HAVE ARRIVED HERE NONE WAS ABLE
TO IDENTIFY ANYONE WHO HAD IN FACT SUFFERED SEVERE PUNISHMENT. SOME MENTIONED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD RELOCATED FAMILIES WHOSE MEMBERS HAD SUCCESSFULLY RESETTLED HIN FOREIGN COUNTRIES AS REFUGEES, TO PLACES LIKE VONG BH AND DONG TRIEU (THESE ARE BACKWARD AND UNPRODUCTIVE PARTS OF CENTRAL VIETNAM FROM WHERE THERE IS LITTLE HOPE OF ESCAPE). SOME RECENT ARRIVALS CLAIMED TO HAVE LEFT WHETNAM RATHER THAN RISK BEING FORCHBLY RELOCATED.
(D) WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT REFUGEES RESETTLED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN WRITING TO THEIR RELATIVES IN VIETNAM SAYING THAT HONG KONG IS A GOOD STEPPING STONE TOWARDS RESETTLEMENT. WE SUSPECT THAT THIS MESSAGE IN VARYING GUNSES IS SENT BY ALL REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN RESETTLED FROM ANYWHERE IN THE REGION. GIVEN THE RELATIVELY LOW RATE OF RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES IN HONG KONG (RESETTLEMENT HIN MALAYSIA, HINDONESIA AND THAILAND IS GREATER AND FASTER THAN FROM HONG KONG) WE DOUBT #F THESE MESSAGES ARE PARTICULARLY S#GNIFICANT AS FAR AS CREATING A PULL FACTOR TO HONG KONG HIS CONCERNED.
(E) ACCORDING TO RECENT ARRIVALS THERE ARE WIDESPREAD RUMOURS THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL FORCHBLY RESETTLE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE (A FIGURE OF 1 MILLION WAS QUOTED) IN CAMBODIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE REPORTED TO BE EVEN WORSE THAN NN WIETNAM,
(F) LAST SEPTEMBER THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED NEW CURRENCY. ALL OF THE OLD CURRENCY WAS CHANGED FOR 10 PER CENT OF ITS VALUE IN NEW CURRENCY (EFFECTIVELY AN DEPRECHATION OF 90 PER CENT).
(G) SEVERAL TYPHOONS HAVE STRUCK THE VIETNAMESE COAST NORTH OF HUE KILLING 7,000 AND DESTROYING CROPS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN EVEN WORSE CONDITIONS IN THIS PART OF WHETNAM AND HAS FORCED SOME NORTH VIETNAMESE HN PARTICULAR TO FLEE THE COUNTRY.
5. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE NO SUPPORTHING #INFORMATION FROM ANY OF THE RECENT ARRIVALS, WE ALSO SUSPECT THAT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MERCY SHIP WILL HAVE ENCOURAGED SOME REFUGEES TO LEAVE LEGALLY.
-2
CONFIDENTIAL
16.