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Mr. Gillmette
Mr. Mclaren
JEAK
The International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees:
Resettlement
1.
You will be aware of the dramatic increase in illegal
departures from Vietnam this year. Some 22,000 boat people
have arrived in the places of first asylum in the region.
Our main concern is Hong Kong, which has had 9,869 arrivals
(to 22 May) - - twice the number at the same stage last year.
5,369 of these have arrived this month. There are now a
total of 35,000 boat people in Hong Kong. Thousands more
are expected to arrive in the next few months.
2.
This has caused a crisis in Hong Kong. Its camps are
full. It has had to resort to ferries as emergency accommodation;
and has acquired tents as a contingency. Neither of these
is any use in a typhoon; the first storm of the season hit
Hong Kong at the weekend. The Foreign Affairs Committee
visited Hong Kong last month, and were worried by what they
saw of this problem. David Howell has told me that he was
concerned about the potential for a serious tragedy in the
camps, such as a fire. The FAC are bound to focus on the
subject in their report, due in July.
3. The problem is also a political one in Hong Kong, where
there is growing pressure from local people to end the policy
of first asylum and a growing feeling that this is a responsibility
foisted onto Hong Kong by Britain. There is now a real risk
that the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council will
block all further expenditure on boat people (which is a
considerable financial burden for Hong Kong), until a solution
is in sight; the Governor does not have the power to overrule
the Committee.
/4.