2. IT IS SOMETIMES FORGOTTEN THAT HONG KONG HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLY AFFECTED BY THE PROBLEM OF OTHER REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS- FROM INDO-CHINA. DURING 1975 HONG KONG ALLOWED 6969 RESIDENTS OF COUNTRIES IN INDO-CHINA TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG BECAUSE T WERE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO RETURN (NOTE A). FURTHERMORE, SINCE DECEMBER 1976 THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS ARRANGED 31 CHARTER FLIGHTS FROM HO CHI MINH CITY TO BRING PEOPLE NORMALLY RESIDENT IN VIETNAM TO JOIN RELATIVES IN HONG KONG AND A SMALL NUMBER HAVE COME ON AIR FRANCE FLIGHTS: TOTAL FIGURE 4790.
FINALLY, 228 BOAT REFUGEES HAVE EXCEPTIONALLY BEEN ALLOWED TO SETTLE IN
HONG KONG EITHER DIRECTLY OR AFTER BEING ORIGINALLY LANDED ELSEWHERE. THESE VARIOUS GROUPS AMOUNT TO ABOUT 12,000 PEOPLE WHO DID NOT PREVIOUSLY HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN HONG KONG.
3. THE BOAT REFUGEE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG MUST ALSO BE SEEN IN THE CONTEXT OF HONG KONG'S RATHER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE LATEST ESTIMATE IS THAT (WITH AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 1840 KMS) HONG KONG HAS A POPULATION OF 4.7 MILLION. FURTHERMORE, ALTHOUGH EFFECTIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION HAS HELPED TO LOWER THE BIRTH-RATE, HONG KONG HAS TRADITIONALLY HAD TO COPE WITH VERY HIGH LEVELS OF
IMMIGRATION. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY WORRYING QUESTION AT PRESENT, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 1978 WILL SEE ABOUT 120,000 NEW ARRIVALS FROM
ALL SOURCES (NOTE B). THIS IS FAR MORE THAN HONG KONG CAN REASONABLY ABSORB. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BOAT REFUGEES IN HONG KONG MAY BE SMALL IN THE CONTEXT OF THE OVERALL PROBLEM OF REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA: BUT IT BULKS LARGE WHEN SET AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND.
4.
THE PATTERN OF ARRIVALS (NOTE C) SHOWS THAT HONG KONG IS BECOMING AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR FIRST DESTINATION FOR BOAT REFUGEES SEEKING RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE. ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF REFUGEES ARE MOVING SOUTHWESTWARDS TOWARDS MALAYSIA DURING THE CURRENT NORTH-EASTERLY MONSOON PERIOD, PAST EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT A DRAMATIC CHANGE CAN BE EXPECTED IN APRIL NEXT YEAR WHEN THE WEATHER MODERATES AND THE BOAT SEASON'' SETS IN. THEREAFTER, HONG KONG CAN ANTICIPATE A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE ARRIVAL RATE. A FIGURE OF AT LEAST 10,200 BOAT REFUGEES ARRIVING IN HONG KONG IN 1979 WOULD BE A REALISTIC ESTIMATE IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES: AND FEW CHANGES CAN BE ENVISAGED WHICH
ARE NOT LIKELY TO INCREASE THIS ESTIMATE. HONG KONG COULD NOT ACCOMMODATE SUCH A NUMBER EITHER NOW OR IN THE FUTURE AND WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO COPE WITH THE HIGH INFLOW NEXT YEAR IF THERE IS A MARKED REDUCTION IN THE TIME TAKEN TO ARRANGE FINAL RESETTLEMENT.
5.
HONG KONG CANNOT BE A LONG-TERM HOME FOR THESE REFUGEES. FURTHERMORE, DIFFICULTIES IN FINDING ACCOMMODATION AND HIGH
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