TNAG-0971-FCO40-1190-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1980 — Page 235

UNMDENTIAL

GRS 430

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 310545Z JAN 80

TORIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 180 OF 31 JANUARY

INFO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

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YOUR TELNO 73: SITREP ON UK SELECTION TEAM.

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1. THE RESULT OF THE CURRENT EXERCISE HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING. UP TO 30 JANUARY 3,800 REFUGEES HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO GO TO UK. THIS COMPARES VERY FAVOURABLY INDEED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE PREVIOUS TWO VISITS (1,767 AND 1,698 REFUGEES SELECTED RESPECTIVELY). WITH A COUPLE MORE DAYS TO GO, IT IS EXPECTED THAT

THE TOTAL NUMBERS SELECTED SHOULD REACH ABOUT 4,000.

2. THE SUCCESS OF THE CURRENT TRAWL WAS DUE IN PART TO THE COINCIDENCE THAT THE UK TEAM WAS WORKING IN THE CAMPS AT THE TIME

WHEN PRELIMINARY NOTICE WAS GIVEN OF THE OPENING OF THE REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRE IN THE PHILIPPINES. THIS UNDOUBTEDLY INCREASED THE INTEREST IN THE UK PROGRAMME. HOWEVER THE CAREF

BEFOREHAND AND MR BAO'S PRESENCE SEEMS TO HAVE HAD CONSIDERABLE

UL PREPARATION

EFFECT AS WELL. HE PROVED TO BE A SPEAKER OF SOME SKILL AND WAS ABLE TO DRAW LARGE AUDIENCES. HE HAS WON THE RESPECT OF MANY REFUGEES HERE AND WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE THE INTEREST OF REASONABLY

WELL QUALIFIED, (IE THOSE WITH HIGH RESETTLEMENT POTENTIAL) REFUGEES TO VOLUNTEER TO GO TO UK. AN EXAMPLE OF MR BAO'S SUCCESS WAS THAT THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES SUBMITTED BY UNHCR TO THE

HOME OFFICE TEAM FOR SELECTION BEFORE MR BAO'S VISIT WAS ONLY 2,712: AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IT WAS ALMOST DOUBLED TO 5,080. A SEPARATE VOLUNTEERS LIST'' SUBMITTED BY IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

ALSO QUADRUPLED FROM 91 TO 373 AFTER MR BAO'S ARRIVAL.

3. MESSRS BIRT AND LOVE OF THE HOME OFFICE TEAM BOTH SHARE THE VIEW THAT MR BAO'S PRESENCE HERE HAD HELPED A GREAT DEAL IN THEIR EFFORTS, AND RECOMMEND THAT MR BAO SHOULD ALSO BE ASKED TO HELP IN THE NEXT SELECTION EXERCISE AND WE HOPE THAT THIS IS ACCEPTABLE AND CAN BE ARRANGED. THEY WILL REPORT IN MORE DETAIL ON RETURN TO

LONDON.

CONFIDENTIAL

14.