DOGAGO
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/12
UNHCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EXCOM): GENEVA 6-13 OCTOBER
BRIEF NO 6(h)
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
Points to Make
Resettlement
1.
years, a much higher
to
find
Hong Kong has the largest number of Vietnamese boat people awaiting resettlement (8,500) of any place of first
asylum in South East Asia. 64% have been there over 3
proportion of long stayers than
anywhere else in the region. It is difficult
resettlement places: serious risk that situation of
refugees in Hong Kong's camps will deteriorate if
resettlement picture does not improve. UK has accepted nearly 20,000 Vietnamese refugees for resettlement, mostly from Hong Kong, including over 400 in the past year.
2. Just before the last ExCom HMG published a White Paper
in response to report on Vietnamese refugees by Home
Affairs Committee's Sub-Committee on Race Relations and
Immigration (SCORRI). White Paper reflected HMG' S concern
about Hong Kong's refugee problems. It announced our
agreement to accept for resettlement some 500 Vietnamese refugees who
who have relatives in the UK but who would not
qualify for admission under our normal criteria. Over 400
have been resettled in UK,
almost all from camps in Hong
Kong; (remainder from camps elsewhere in South East Asia).
3.
We have encouraged other countries to respond to this
initiative by themselves taking additional numbers from
Hong Kong. Many countries have responded positively,
including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finalnd,
France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway
and Sweden. We and Hong Kong are grateful to all these
CONFIDENTIAL