TNAG-0891-FCO40-1101-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 11

198

with HKK 24?

HKK 243/1

22

CONFIDENTIAL

13. NUMBERS OF REFUGEES ACCEPTED INTO THE UK

1.

Excluding the refugees recently accepted from the MV Sibonga (943) and Roach Bank (293) the UK has received for resettlement, since the spring 1975, (or allowed to remain) a total of 1,973 Indo-Chinese refugees as indicated by the following table:

Com

Vietnamese

Cambodian

Laotian

TOTALS

Allowed to remain

150

136

51

337

UK ties

363

39

160

562

Boat res cues

804

1,074

1,500 quota

270

TOTALS

1,587

175

211

1,973

Of the 1,500 quota (1,000 from Hong Kong, 250 from Malaysia and 250 from Thailand) about 1,200 have still to arrive.

2. The numbers of refugees coming to this country from the Sibonga and Roach Bank will be approximately 1,250. In addition, there are 57 refugees in Singapore who were landed there, under the nrevious Government's policy, with a guarantee that they will be accepted into the UK if not resettled elsewhere. There are 41 refugees at present on board the MV Ashford on the way to Singapore and in respect of which a similar guarantee will no doubt be required before they can Land. Of the 40 refugees on the Norse Viking (whose next port of call is Japan) six have indicated that they would wish to come to the UK,

and on the basis of the formula agreed with the Japanese, we have indicated that we will accept them.

3. In sum,

the total number of refugees the UK has accepted from Indo-China since 1975 and to which it is committed to receiving in the near future, including the Sibonga and the Roach Bank refugees

t

CONFIDENTIAL

/and the