TNAG-0890-FCO40-1100-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 157

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Resettlement

3.

Resettlement of refugees from Hong Kong is the responsibility

of the UNHCR, who also assume responsibility for looking after the

refugees in Hong Kong oce their status has been established. Because

of processing delays (partly caused by shortage of staff in the UNHCR

office in Hong Kong), only 14,000 of the refugees now in Hong Kong

have so far been taken under UNHCR care. Resettlement is even slower:

only 3,492 refugees have left Hong Kong for resettlement since the

beginning of 1979. At this rate, it will take over 5 years to resettle

all those now in Hong Kong, and the period of delay will continue to

increase as more refugees arrive.

4. The destinations of those who have been resettled this year

were:

United States

2,384

West Germany

440

Canada

285

United Kingdom

252

Norway

29

Australia

29

Switzerland

18

France

Denmark

Netherlands

18

17

15

Italy

New Zealand

Spain

5

1

1

4 have been repatriated to Vietnam and 38 have been allowed to

settle permanently in Hong Kong.