ye been accepted elsewhere. The Government have
launched an intensive diplomatic campaign to persuade
other resettlement countries to respond to this
initiative. A major international effort is now required
to resettle the 15,000 boat people in Hong Kong who have
refugee status.
XI:
Emigration
45. Emigration, particularly of skilled people and
professionals, is a matter of genuine concern in Hong
Kong. It is a matter which the Government are monitoring
with very close attention. The Hong Kong Government
have taken pains to establish the facts and to draw up
plans to deal with the problem.
46. In May 1988 the Hong Kong Government established a
task force to obtain the clearest possible picture of
current emigration trends. After careful study of the
available data, it assessed that between 1981 and 1986
emigration averaged about 20,000 per year. In 1987 the
level of emigration was about 30,000 and in 1988 it was
about 45,000. Of these, the task force estimated that
about 10,000 belonged to the skilled or professional
class. It was also estimated that several thousand
former Hong Kong res idents return to Hong Kong every
year, often after having acquired foreign nationality.
The net loss of qualified people is therefore somewhat
less than might at first appear.