Reg No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
{
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
DRAFT
BRIEF
To:-
Type 1 +
From
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
USK TI
In Confidence
A
CALL ON MR BLAKER BY THE DEPUTY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES: 29 OCTOBER AT 11.30 AM
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
ESSENTIAL FACTS
1.
There were about 5,000 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong at the beginning of the year. A further 72,961 have arrived since (up to 23 October). UNHCR have so far resettled only 14,566 leaving 64,107 on 23 October still waiting in Hong Kong. Even/the assumption of no future arrivals and a likely departure rate of 4,000 refugees per month, Hong Kong will not have resettled its refugee population until 1981.
on
2. On present estimates, of 20,000 resettlement places likely to be available outside the six major programmes (USA, Canada, West Germany, France, Australia, UK), only 2,000 will be made available to Hong Kong. We hope Mr de Haan can take action to reinforce his earlier pleas for a fairer allocation of resettlement places before resettlement programmes for 1980 are finalised.
3. The UNHCR have allocated increased resources to Hong Kong and have agreed, with effect from 1 September 1979, to assume full responsibility for refugees in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the Hong Kong Government still fear that the UNHCR's proposed allocation for the rest of 1979 and for 1980 will be
inadequate to meet the likely costs. These points were covered in a note passed by UKMIS Geneva to the UNHCR Office
on 15 October.
4.
On 19 September, Hong Kong returned 733 refugees to China, under an agreement reached with the Chinese Government for the return of Vietnamese refugees who reach Hong Kong illegally
Dd 0532000 800M 5/78 HMSO Bracknell
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