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6.
The number of refugees awaiting resettlement in Hong Kong at 26 September 1979 was 65,955. This figure differs slightly from the balance of arrivals and departures (65,643) since it takes into account births and deaths amongst the refugee population while waiting in Hong Kong for resettlement offers.
Regional Arrivals and Departures
7.
The problem of boat refugees is a global one.
However
Hong Kong has borne a particularly heavy burden in 1979 since more boat refugees have arrived than anywhere else in the region and the departures in the same period have only been 13.5% of arrivals, compared with 38% for the region.
Regional arrivals and resettlement
January- August 1979
Departures as
Place
Arrivals
Departures
% of Arrivals
Hong Kong
70,650
9,500
13.5
Malaysia
51,825
48,725
94.0
Indonesia
47,420
3,900
8.3
Thailand
9,670
5,200
58.0
Philippines
6,725
3,175
47.2
Singapore
3,450
2,200
63.7
189,740
72,700
3803
8.
These figures do not take into account the existing boat refugee population throughout the region at the end of 1978. However the effect of the slow departure rate from Hong Kong is shown by the fact that in September 1979 Hong Kong had the highest number of boat refugees awaiting resettlement, 65,000, followed by about 50,000 in Malaysia, 42,000 in Indonesia and 10,000 in Thailand (which of course also has huge numbers of land refugees from Laos and Cambodia).
/P. 4
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