TNAG-0897-FCO40-1107-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 169

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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243

PA.

F1 BANGKOK 078315Z SEP 79

TO PRIORITY FCO

TEL NO 538 OF 7 SEPTEMBER

INFO UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR), KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, MANILA, VIENTIANE, HANOI.

THAILAND: REFUGEE STATISTICs

1. UNHCR FIGURES FOR JULY ARE AS FOLLOWS:

ARRIVALS

LAOTIANS:

3036

VIETNAMESE: TOTAL

720

BOAT CASES

431

KAMPUCHEANS: TOTAL

699

BOAT CASES

NIL

TOTAL

4455

Ja mam dové

167

DEPARTURES FOR RESETTLEMENT

1744

781

471

3136

20

5661

1206

EXCESS OF DEPARTURES OVER ARRIVALS

2. TOTAL UNHCR CAMP POPULATION ON 31 AUGUST WAS 172,805 EXCLUDING

3542 IN TRANSIT AWAITING RESETTLEMENT DEPARTURE. OF THAT FIGURE 148,333 LAO, 8869 VIETNAMESE (OF WHOM 7399 BOAT CASES) AND 15,612 KAMPUCHEAN (OF WHOM 206 BOAT CASES).

3. MAIN RESETTLEMENT DESTINATIONS FOR AUGUST WERE:

USA (3350), FRANCE (1440), GERMANY (237), AND AUSTRALIA (159)*

23 WENT TO UK.

4. COMMENT: FOR THE FIRST TIME THE DEPARTURE RATE WHICH IS ALMOST

DOUBLE THE AVERAGE FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR HAS EXCEEDED THE RATE OF NEW ARRIVALS, AND THE UN CAMP POPULATION HAS DROPPED FROM LAST MONTH BY 2422 TO AROUND JUNE LEVEL. DEPARTURES HOWEVER SHOW PREFERENCE GIVEN TO CAMBODIAN AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES OVER LAO (WHOSE NUMBERS HAVE GROWN THIS MONTH BY 481). ARRIVAL RATE OVERALL HAS DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR BOTH LAO AND KAMPUCHEAN, REFLECTING TOUGHER THAI ATTITUDE ON BORDERS REPORTED IN MY TELNOS 512 AND 524. NUMBERS IN TRANSIT CAMPS ARE ALSO HIGH WHICH AUGURS WELL FOR NEXT MONTH.

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