TNAG-0883-FCO40-1093-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 49

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17 APR:79

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr Cortatz

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

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Lord Goronwy-Roberts asked for comments on the Governor of Hong Kong's letter of 19 March, in reply to the Minister's letter of 28 February about the problems over Vietnamese refugees in

Hong Kong.

Background

2.

At present there are more than 17,000 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong awaiting resettlement. Over 8,000 have arrived in their own small boats this year. 6,000 more arrived on the Huey Fong and the Skyluck. During the same period, only 2,276 have been resettled by the UNHCR in third countries. The problem will probably get worse with the onset of the southwest monsoon (which will make direct sea voyages from Vietnam to Hong Kong much easier) and in the aftermath of the Sino-Vietnamese conflict, which seems likely to lead to increasing pressure on ethnic Chinese in Vietnam. The arrangements for the "orderly departure" of refugees from Vietnam agreed recently between the Deputy UNHCR and the Vietnamese authorities are unlikely to make much difference in the short

to medium term.

3. The Hong Kong Government are making contingency arrangements to deal with a continuing influx of around 10,000 refugees a month. Details of their plans are set out in Executive Council Memorandum ECC(79)26 of 9 March; they include building a new camp to take 25-30,000 refugees, and perhaps another one later on.

4. Mr Simpson-Orlebar's submission of 21 March set out the steps taken recently to persuade potential host countries to take more Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong. The results have been disappointing and we must keep up the pressure. In a different field, we have been able to help the Hong Kong Government to improve aerial and maritime surveillance of the approaches to Hong Kong.

CONFIDENTIAL

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