66
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
CONFIDENTIAL
布政司署
港下亞畢道
NICK 24312
ARN OUR Ref.:
CR 3/4821/52-
來函檔號 YOUr Ref.:
A E Donald Esq
REJEIVED A REGISTRY HOT ST 3 1.0CT 1980
INDEX
Assistant Under-Secretary of State
F CO
This shel
Jo
en
Ma
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG HONG
23 October, 1980.
Morrice 30,0 Willingen 2010
ра
in the bonef. 1. discurs with STAD
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
চर
When the Governor is in London in early November one of the subjects he hopes to raise with the Secretary of State is the continuing problem of resettling Vietnamese refugees and the need for a new UK quota.
2.
The basic facts were set out in Hong Kong telno 1170 to you of 12 September. Nothing has happened to alter the arguments in that telegram for a new quota. But you might find it useful, in advance of the Governor's visit, to have an up-dated account of resettlement prospects.
3.
September was a good month, largely as a result of the sudden availability of places at the Bataan refugee processing centre in the Philippines which Hong Kong was able to fill because of some very quick and hard work by the US Consulate-General and the refugee organisations here. But the September figure is not (4350) likely to be repeated. This month's total will probably be about
2,000 and we expect resettlement to remain at this rate for November and December although possibly there will again be some extra windfall places for the States. Barring a new influx (which is unlikely), by the end of the year our refugee population should be down to about 22,000. At that stage future resettlement prospects will be as follows:
USA
Canada
UK
a target of 1,500 per month up to September 1981, i.e. a total of 13,500, but subject to revision in light of resettlement from Hong Kong to other countries (see below).
no programme has yet been announced but the latest indications from the Canadian Commission are for a total quota during 1981 of about 2,000 for Hong Kong and Macau.
1,500 places remaining under the existing quota (reduced by 500 to allow for rescues at sea elsewhere).
/contd.
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