WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1980
15
RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
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THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON LEWIS DAVIES, TODAY (WEDNESDAY) ESTIMATED THAT BETWEEN 3 000 AND 4 000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WOULD LEAVE HONG KONG THIS MONTH AND DURING THE NEXT TWO MONTHS FOR RESETTLEMENT OVERSEAS.
REPLYING TO QUESTIONS FROM THE HON LYDIA DUNN AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR DAVIES SAID IT WAS HOPED TO MAINTAIN THAT RATE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR BUT ANY FIRMER PREDICTION WOULD BE PREMATURE.
+THIS IS DIFFICULT TO ESTIMATE BECAUSE THE MONTHLY FIGURES OF DEPARTURES TO RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES VARY IN ACCORDANCE WITH FACTORS SUCH AS THE QUOTA ACTUALLY ALLOCATED, TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS, SPEED OF PROCESSING AND PROGRESS WITH ACTUAL RESETTLEMENT.
+FEW RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES MAKE DEFINITE COMMITMENTS MORE THAN THREE MONTHS AHEAD, HE SAID.
MR DAVIES NOTED THAT ON FEBRUARY 8 THIS YEAR THERE WERE 49 630 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES STILL REMAINING IN HONG KONG,
BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 1979 AND FEBRUARY 8 THIS YEAR MR DAVIES SAID, 27 765 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WERE RESETTLED OVERSEAS, REPRÉSENTING 36.3 PER CENT OF THE 76 412 REFUGEES WHO WERE IN HONG KONG ON JANUARY 1, 1979 PLUS THOSE WHO ARRIVED BETWEEN THAT DATE AND FEBRUARY 8, 1980.
+THIS PERCENTAGE OF 36.3 PER CENT COMPARES WITH A TOTAL OF ABOUT 105 000 BOAT REFUGEES RESETTLED FROM SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES DURING THE YEAR 1979, WHICH REPRESENTS ABOUT 57.6 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BOAT REFUGEES WHO WERE IN THESE COUNTRIES ON JANUARY 1, 1979 PLUS THOSE WHO ARRIVED DURING 1979, + HE ADDED.
RESETTLEMENT FIGURES FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES FOR JANUARY 1980 WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR COMPARISON.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
FOLLOWING IS A TABLE SHOWING THE BOAT REFUGEE POPULATION IN THE REGION AND RESETTLEMENT DURING 1979.
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