7
Refugees from Indochina: Situation on 31.1.79
424
Arrivals of "boat people" and of persons crossing overland into Thailand during the month of January 1979 numbered 13,061; during the same period 6,610 persons departed for countries of resettlement. The number of persons awaiting solutions on 31 January 1979 was 205,292. Of them 70,239 were "boat people" while 135,054 had arrived in Thailand overland. See Tables A and B below.
2. At the end of December 1978 two cargo vessels, the "luey Fong" and the "Tung An" anchored outside Hong Kong and Hanila respectively, carrying some 5,640 persons. The High Commissioner appealed to the Government of the Philippines and to the Hong Kong authorities to allow the disembarkation of these people. Countries of resettlement were also urged to admit with due dispatch persons already waiting in camps in Hong Kong and Manila to offset difficulties of disembarkation due to possible lack of accommodation.
On 31 January 1979 the situation was as follows:
3.
"Huey Fong"
"Tung An"
all 3,318 passengers had disembarked in Hong Kong
of the 2,318 passengers, 196 had disembarked in the Philippines and departed for countries of resettlement
As it will be noted from Table B, departures for countries of resettlement during January 1979 (6,610) were below the monthly average figure that should be attained based on the 89,500 resettlement offers available within a one-year span (see Annex I attached).
4. At the time of the Consultative Meeting of 11/12 December 1978, a total of 82,000 resettlement offers had been notified to the High Commissioner covering a one-year span. Since then, these offers have been increased to some 89,500 as shown in Annex I attached. Several countries - Argentina, Brazil, Greece, Luxembourg and Sweden - joined the circle of those offering resettlement opportunities for Indochinese. Others Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom quotas.
I
announced further
Table A: Arrivals
Hkk 243/
Arrivals in
Jan. 1979
Cumulative mid-75′′
to 31.1.79
Brunei
84
Hong Kong
3,413*
9,873.
Nd
Indonesia
1,100
4,955
Japan
20
1,941
ALTER tine
1.1.79
PA 35 on
8277,031
3,318
577
Korea
15
274
88
Kacau
45
1,015
877
Malaysia
4,202
74,296
51,002***
Philippines
199**
4,768
1,666
Singapore
2,294
Thailand boat
467
14,792
477
5,103
land
3,600
205,253
135,054
Others
59
Total
13,061
319,545
205,293
*
**
***
including 3,318 who disembarked from the "Huey Fong" including 196 who disembarked from the "Tung An"
of whom some 750 on the "Hai Hong" were being processed for USA
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