TNAG-0971-FCO40-1190-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1980 — Page 113

GR 180

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 190937Z AUG

CONFIDENTIAL

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFIGE TELEGRAM NUMBER 1037 OF 19 AUGUST, 1980 INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE

DO POL

HKCK 243/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

20 AUG 1980

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

Lo

HW 29/3

REGISTRY Action Taken

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESETTLEMENT TO U.K.

1. WE HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD BY JCRV THAT THE OFFTAKE TO U.K. FOR AUGUST, ORIGINALLY FORECAST AT 650, WILL BE REDUCED TO ABOUT 420. SO FAR THIS MONTH, 188 REFUGEES HAVE DEPARTED FOR U.K.

2. THE REASON FOR THIS REDUCTION IS THE CLOSURE OF MATLOCK RECEPTION CENTRE. THIS COMES AS A SURPRISE, SINCE YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 464 INDICATED THAT 300 EXTRA RECEPTION CENTRE PLACES WERE BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO OFFSET ANY SLOWDOWN IN JULY AND

AUGUST.

See

3. THE OVERALL POSITION DOES NOT APPEAR OPTIMISTIC. SO FAR, 7,193 OF THE 2 U.K. QUOTAS FOR 11,000 PLACES HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP. 3,807 PLACES STILL REMAIN, AND IF THESE ARE ALL TO BE TAKEN UP THE THE END OF 1980, THE MONTHLY DEPARTURE RATE WILL HAVE TO BE ABOUT 850. IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT DEPARTURE FIGURES (MONTHLY AVERAGE MAY TO JULY - 565), IS THERE ANY PROSPECT THAT THIS RATE CAN BE ACHIEVED?

MACLEHOSE

LIMITED

Ps

HKVGD

SEAD

UND

FED

ECD

PUSD

OID

IPD

PS/GPS PS/MAL BLAKER PS/HR RIDLEY Ps/Pus

SIR E YOUDE

MA DONALD

NEWS, D

MAED

MR ADAMS

LEGAL ADV: (HR RUSHFORD)

CONFIDENTIAL

THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED

ADDITIONAL DIST'

BOAT PEOPLE

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