TNAG-0898-FCO40-1108-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 183

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UNCLASSIFIED

RY SINGAPORE 1897132 OCT 79

O ROUTINE FCO

TELNO 372 OF 19 OCT

AND TO ROUTINE GOV HONG KONG

HKK 2431

RALJIVED IN MAKAY NO. 51

INFOR ROUTINE KUALA LUMPUR, JAYARTA, BANGKOK MANILA WASHINGTON UHIS GENEVA, UKMIS NEW YORK.

MIDSX

AND SAVING TO PEKING AND HANOI (FCO PSE PASS)

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN SINGAPORE: SEPTEMBER

1. AWAITING ACCEPTANCE OR DEPARTURE ON 31 AUGUST 1267

ARRIVED DURING SEPTEMBER: 1304

DEPARTED DURING SEPTEMBER:

AUSTRALIA: 57

BRAZIL: 26

BELGIUM : 30

PA

CANADA : 4

DENAMRK : 79

FRANCE: 125

GERMANY: 23

HOLLAND 3 88

USA: 111

TOTAL 543

AWAITING ACCEPTANCE OR DEPARTURE ON 37 SEPT: 2728

CUMULATIVE ARRIVALS IN 1979 3853, CUMULATIVE DEPARTURES IN 1979 :

1827.

2. COMMENT. THE TREND OF INCREASED ARRIVALS WHICH STARTED IN JULY

HAS CONTINUED, WITH THE FIGURES FOR SEPTEMBER SHOWING THE LARGEST MONTHLY ARRIVAL RATE SO FAR (TWICE THE FIGURE FOR AUGUST)

a

?

135 REFUGEES WERE BROUGHT TO SINGAPORE BY THE AUSTRALIAN MERCY'

SHIP, THE AKUNA, BUT THE OTHERS WERE ALL RESCUED BY MERCHANT SHIPS, TYPICALLY IN BOATLOADS OF BETWEEN 20 AND 67, ALTHOUGH IN SOME CASES OVER 100 AT A TIME. UNHCR DO NOT HAVE STATISTICS ABOUT THEIR BACK- GROUNDS, BUT ON PAST FORM THE MAJORITY ARE PROBABLY ETHNIC VIETNAMESE

FROM SOUTH VIETNAM, THEY HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY INVOLVEMENT OF

VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS IN THEIR DEPARTURE, THE RISE IN ARRIVALS SINCE

JULY IS NOT NECESSARILY DUE TO INCREASED DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM:

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MALAYSIA'S TOUGHER POLICY ON LANDINGS HAS INDUCED

REFUGEES LEAVING UNDER THEIR OWN STEAM TO MAKE FOR THE SHIPPING

LANES WHERE THEY HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF BEINGPICKED UP BY SINGAPORE- BOUND VESSELS. THE VERY LARGE INCREASE THIS MONTH DOES HOWEVER SUGGEST SOME INCREASE IN DEPARTURES (SEE KUALA LUMPUR TEL 352 TO

FCO).

13.