TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 16

STANDING COMPUNEHOR OF BRITISH ORGANISATIONS FOR AID TO REFUGIES

IMA SUMMERTIES

Meeting on Thursday 27 November 1975

Item 4 d) Vietnamese Refugees from Hong Kong letter from the Director of

Immigration (Mr. J.M. Rowlands), Hong Kong.

Our Ref. CR 1/323Pt.3(87)

COPY

Immigration Department,

International Building,

141 Des Voeux Road Central,

Hong Kong.

3rd November 1975.

Dear Miss Rice-Jones,

I owe you an explanation as to what happened to your letter to me dated 27th August. I was travelling through India when it reached Hong Kong and my staff should have opened it and got Derek Readman, who was acting for me, to reply to you. Instead it was sent back to Europe and finally caught up with me shortly before I started back to Hong Kong.

The position here has changed dramatically for the better as a result of the Americans deciding to raise their quotas and ease their criteria. Our latest figures are as follows

Departures of Vietnamese Refugees from Hong Kong

To U.S.A.

2534

To Canada

372

To France

344

To Australia

208

To Denmark

100

To Austria

48

To Belgium

24

To Germany

5

Others

3

Hong Kong

-

110

3.748

Total Departures

Refugees Remaining in Camps in Hong Kong - 161.

I expect a further 40 or so to be accepted by Austria, France or ourselves in the near future. Many of those who expressed interest in going to Britain have now gone elsewhere, principally to the USA, but I am optimistic that Britain will now accept a substantial proportion of the 120 or so who would otherwise by loft to us.

As one might expect, the number waiting to return to Vietnam is decrossing und may finally be as low as a Cozen. An important factor is the reluctance co far of the PRG in Saigon to take time out to give the necessary accurances that any who do return will not be victimise..

I appreciato very much the interest you have shown in our problema and I think that even now: Britain can be of real help to us in finding homes for the final 100 or so. Jo 15 cften impossible to tell a Vietnamese from a Chinese (until they slurt speaking) and for this reason it must be difficult for people in Jurope or America to appreciate that a Vietnamese having no Chineco relatives would find it extremely difficult to make a new life for himself in liong Kong.