CONFIDENTIAL
1043
布政司署
香港下座舉道
本署檔號 OUR REF.: CR 2/4821/75
* YOUR Ref.:
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
6 June, 1979
Though long, this contamis much useful information and
worth reading
is wen
WASHINGTON
S I Soutar Esq
Sept 131
lice M. Murray
Mr Simon's +3/1
Rémi Me Sun 014/0.
Ju
Mi wasiansson. J15.6
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG :JUS VIEWS
P.A.
У
You asked in paragraph 5 of your letter 243/1 of 21 May to Simpson-Orlebar (not copied to Peking) for comments on the costs of maintaining refugees in Hong Kong and the accommodation arrangements. The maintenance costs in Hong Kong are high because prices for food, essential equipment (e.g. bedding, cooking utensils), utilities and repairs are higher than e.g. in Malaysia. The average maintenance cost per day per refugee for those in Government accommodation is HK$6.00 (about US$1.17), of which about half is for cooked food provided by Government. The higher costs of HK$8.00 to 10.00 per day for refugees in UNHCR camps (run on their behalf by various voluntary agencies) is largely due to providing refugees with allowances to buy their own food. The only
way in which costs could be significantly reduced would be if refugees who have found jobs were asked to pay for (or find their own) accommodation and food.
2.
Cushing's suggestion that cheaper sites could be found shows a misunderstanding of the problems here on two counts:
A.
B.
The costs of providing sites have largely been borne by Government, with little prospect of reimbursement by UNHCR. many cases alternative plans for them
In
112/vi
725
ree (087
(commercial or recreational use) have been shelved at great cost to the local community.
Developing sites on outlying islands is neither a sensible nor a cheaper alternative to taking over and developing existing buildings. Such sites are generally lacking in the most basic requirements (e.g. flat land, landing stages, water or power supplies, building materials)
/contd..
1220
CONFIDENTIAL
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