TNAG-0899-FCO40-1109-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 68

170

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FM F C O 191538Z NOV 79

TO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 324 OF 19 NOVEMBER

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG.

thek 243/1

Акк

1866

KEY

FY NO. 5:

2 1 NOV 1979

Cho

836

YOUR TELNO 404.

1. WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED FROM THE HOME OFFICE THE OUTLINE OF OUR

POLICY ON RESETTLING REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG REQUESTED IN YOUR

PARA 1.A OF TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE:

QUOTE THE GOVERNMENT AGREED TO ACCEPT AN ADDITIONAL 10,000 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG AT THE GENEVA CONFERENCE HELD IN JULY 1979.

BEFORE THAT THE LAST GOVERNMENT HAD AGREED TO ACCEPT A QUOTA OF 1,000 FROM HONG KONG, VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE 1,000 QUOTA HAVE NOW ARRIVED AND OF THE 10,000 REFUGEES WHOM IT WAS AGREED TO ACCEPT AT GENEVA, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ALMOST 2,000 WILL HAVE ARRIVED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THE RATE OF INTAKE NEXT YEAR WILL DEPEND ON THE RATE AT WHICH THOSE CURRENTLY IN RECEPTION CENTRES CAN BE RESETTLED IN PERMANENT HOUSING.

THERE ARE AT PRESENT ABOUT 3,500 PLACES AVAILABLE IN RECEPTION CENTRES. REFUGEES SPEND SOME 3-6 MONTHS IN THE CENTRES LEARNING

ENGLISH AND PREPARING FOR LIFE IN BRITAIN BEFORE MOVING INTO

PERMANENT HOUSING. IT IS THE POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT TO RESETTLE

THE REFUGEES WIDELY AROUND THE COUNTRY IN SMALL GROUPS OF FAMILIES WHERE HOUSING AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE. UNQUOTE

2. PLEASE NOW PROCEED AS IN PARAGRAPH 5 OF HONG KONG TELNO 1571.

CARRINGTON

FILES

SEAD

COPIES TO:

MR GODDARD HOME OFFICE

QUEEN ANNE'S GATE

HK & GD

FED

MR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY,

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