- 4.
The British Government has a particular responsibility for
Hong Kong. Of the 180,000 boat people still awaiting resettlement
on 30 September, over a third were in Hong Kong, the smallest most
densely populated of all the places of first asylum. Over 7,000
boat refugees have reached Hong Kong since Geneva. Fewer than
16,000 left for final resettlement in the first 10 months of 1979.
Over 62,000 still await resettlement there, and in spite of the
burden imposed, the Government of Hong Kong has turned none away.
We hope that the coming months will show a breakthrough in the
numbers of refugees leaving Hong Kong. So far they have only
stabilised, and at present rates of resettlement, many refugees
will have to stay in camps there for another two years or more.
Hong Kong's humanitarian record is unparalleled. It should receive
a full share of the resettlement places available.
On specific aspects of the Secretary-General's report, the
British Government welcomes the conclusions on rescue at sea. They
continue to believe that the best guarantee that refugees will be
given assistance by merchant shipping is the general implementation
of the first port of call principle. Only such a general practice
will allow all merchant shipping in the area to fulfil its
humanitarian duty to render assistance and save life at sea without
risking heavy costs and the disruption of normal activities.
July we have noted encouraging developments on this subject in the
policies of several countries in the region.
Since
/On the orderly
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