TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 268

280/€

IT PRESS STATEMENT

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

The Government, in close consultation with the Inter-Chur Committee on Immigration, has completed the selection of opoli- cants for the resettlement of 50 Vietnamese refugee families, the Minister of Immigration, Mr Fraser Coman said toy

ין

A special team in the Immigration Divisic of the Department of Labour had in the last few weeks been tracing the location of refugee families whose entry into New Zealand had been approved In the event, a number of these families had chosen to settl elsewhere. Some other families, who were thought to be refuçe and on whose behalf applications had been lodged, had in fact not left Vietnam.

"Now that the selection of 50 families has been completeo, the major job ahead is the task of resettling these families, Mr Colman said. "Thirty-two family groups have already arrived in New Zealand, while a further 18 families are either en route to New Zealand or will shortly be leaving refugee camps for this country"

"Ensuring that refugees settle happily in their new environment is not an easy task," the Minister added. "T an most grateful for the assistance which is given by the. Inter-Church Committee on Immigration in the resettlement of all refugees. I am also most heartened by the generous support offer by individual New Zealanders. It is to be expected that efforts on behalf of the Vietnamese families, together with other refugee cases - such as those from Chile which are current y being accepted, will fully engage New Zealand's resources fo some time.to come."

#