TNAG-0878-FCO40-1088-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 85

CONFIDENTIAL

GR 265

CONFIDENTIAL

KBY 161000Z (FCO)

PHONG KONG 160959Z JAN 79

TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.112 OF 16 JANUARY,

HKK 243/1

RA LIVEOMA ABY NO. 51

17 JAN1979

INFO IMMEDIATE: UKMIS GENEVA,

133

1.

PRIORITY BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR.

(30)

INDEX

FZ

No Jimi

1 PCD

YOUR TELNOS.47 AND 48: ADMISSION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

TO THE U.K.

WE HAVE NO COMMENTS ON THE P.Q AND DRAFT REPLY.

en

2. WE SUGGEST THAT UP-TO-DATE FIGURES BE GIVEN ON THE NUMBER OF

REFUGEES IN HONG KONG AND THAT THE SECOND SENTENCE OF PARA.2 OF

DRAFT PRESS NOTICE BE REPLACED BY THE FOLLOWING:

REFUGE

QUOTE AT PRESENT THERE ARE SOME 50,000 BOAT REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM IN CAMPS IN MALAYSIA AND SOME 3,600 IN THAILAND. ON 16 JANUARY THERE WERE 5,405 REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM IN HONG

KONG AWAITING RESETTLEMENT, UNQUOTE

3. THE FIGURE GIVEN FOR HONG KONG INCLUDES 1,926 WHO ENTERED

ILLEGALLY FROM CHINA (ABOUT HALF ARE STILL BEING PROCESSED OR

HELD ON BOARD PENDING REMOVAL TO DETENTION CENTRES)). WE DO NOT WISH TO REFER PUBLICLY TO THIS FIGURE. THE HONG KONG TOTALL

EXCLUDES THE 3,383 ON THE ''HUEY FONG''. THE OTHER FIGURES ARE

BASED ON ONES SUPPLIED BY THE LOCAL UNHCR OFFICE AND THE U.S

CONSULATE-GENERAL. THE AMERICAN FIGURES FOR ''LAND CASES''

THAILAND AT 31 DECEMBER ARE: 119,178 FROM LAOS: 14,566 FROM CAMBODIA: 1,788 FROM VIETNAM.

MACLEHOSE

IN

FILES

UND

PS

HK & GD

VSEAD

✓FED VSAD

PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS

PS/MR LUARD

MR BURLEIGH

PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF

MR BIRT

EID (E)

MR CORTAZZI

COPIES TO

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

QUEEN ANNE'S GATE

HOME OFFICE

LUNAR HOUSE CROYDON

HOME OFFICE

PUSD

MR WEIR

OID

MR MURRAY

IPD

NEWS D

MVD

CONFIDENTIAL