XN000022-1983-01-19 — Page 4

WEDNESDAY, JA UARY 19, 1923

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HK HAS MOST VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN REGION

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HONG KONG NOW HAS THE LARGEST POPULATION OF UNSETTLED VIETNAMESE REFUGEES THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE REGION, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON D.G. JEAFFRESON, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

THE FIGURE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR WAS 12 631 AS DEPARTURES WERE DROPPING AND NEW REFUGEES KEPT COMING, MR JEAFFRESON REPORTED.

AND THE OUTLOOK FOR THEIR RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE DID NOT SEEM PROMISING, HE SAID. IN RECENT YEARS, HONG KONG HAS ABSORBED AROUND 14 000 PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM WHICH, GIVEN THE SIZE OF HONG KONG, MR JEAFFRESON CONSIDERED A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT+ UNPARALLELED ANYWHERE ELSE.

+1 DO NOT THINK WE CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO ABSORB ANY MORE, HE STRESSED, AND URGED OTHER COUNTRIES TO RESETTLE THESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG,

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON LYDIA DUNN, HE SAID THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND FRANCE APPEAR TO BE THE ONLY MAJOR COUNTRIES WILLING TO RESETTLE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

OF THESE ONLY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED SPECIFIC QUOTAS FOR 1983.

CANADA WILL TAKE 175 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG 1 700 FROM THAILAND, 900 FROM SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA AND 25 FROM THE PHILIPPINES, WITH 200 PLACES RESERVED FOR SHIP RESCUE AND EMERGENCIES.

IN ADDITION, CANADIAN FAMILIES AND GROUPS ARE EXPECTED TO SPONSOR SOME 500 FROM HONG KONG AND MACAU, GIVING A MAXIMUM OF 675 FROM HONG KONG FOR 1983, AS AGAINST 2 070 IN 1981 AND 1 088 IN 1982, MR JEAFFRESON SAID.

THE OTHER COUNTRIES WILL TAKE THOSE WHO QUALIFY UNDER THEIR NATIONAL POLICIES AND IN THE CASE OF THE UNITED STATES. THIS MEANS A MAXIMUM OF 64 000 FROM THE REGION AS A WHOLE, HE REPORTED.

MR JEAFFRESON SAID THAT WHILE THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT TO THESE COUNTRIES COULD NOT BE PREDICTED WITH ANY ACCURACY, THE OUTLOOK DID NOT APPEAR PROMISING.

THE NUMBERS RESETTLED FROM HONG KONG FELL FROM 34 468 IN 1980, TO 17 818 IN 1981 AND TO 9 247 IN 1982.

+WITHIN 1982 THERE WAS AN EVEN MORE ALARMING TREND WITH THE NUMBERS FALLING STEADILY FROM 1 838 IN JANUARY TO 185 IN NOVEMBER,+ HE POINTED OUT.

SO FAR THIS MONTH, ONLY 54 HAVE LEFT WHILE REFUGEES KEEP COMING, HE SAID.

BECAUSE OF THE STEEPLY-FALLING TREND IN DEPARTURES LAST YEAR, THE REFUGEE POPULATION IN CAMPS IN HONG KONG ROSE TO 12 631 BY THE END OF DECEMBER, AFTER DROPPING TO 9 844 IN APRIL, THE LOWEST FIGURE FOR SOME YEARS, MR JEAFFRESON SAID.

+ IT IS THUS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO US THAT COUNTRIES CONTINUE TO RESETTLE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG IN APPRECIABLE NUMBERS,+ HE STRESSED.

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