4. THE PROBLEM OF BOAT REFUGEES IN HONG KONG MUST BE SEEN
AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF SERIOUS IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS FROM CHINA. HONG KONG HAS ALREADY BEEN HARD PRESSED TO ABSORB AN ESTIMATED 280,000 LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA OVER- THE LAST TWO YEARS. (INCIDENTALLY, THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO SOME 12.5 MILLION IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO INTO THE US ABOUT 4 TIMES THE US ESTIMATE FOR 1978-79). DESPITE MEASURES TAKEN BY CHINA,
NEW ARRIVALS ARE STILL COMING IN AT A RATE OF ABOUT 300 A DAY.
THIS MASSIVE ADDITION TO THE POPULATION IS SEEN BY HONG KONG
RESIDENTS AS A THREAT TO THEIR PRESENT STANDARD OF LIVING, THEIR FUTURE ASPIRATIONS AND IT HAS ALREADY NOTICEABLY AFFECTED THE QUALITY OF LIFE THESE LATEST IMMIGRANTS, UNLIKE EARLIER WAVES IN THE 1950'S AND 1962, HAVE LITTLE TO OFFER AS THEY COME FROM A BACKGROUND OF POOR EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS AND ERODED RESPECT FOR SOCIAL DISCIPLINE DURING THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION. IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE STRAIN IMPOSED BY ABSORBING SUCH LARGE NUMBERS HAS TO SOME EXTENT BEEN MASKED BY THE COINCIDENCE OF A PERIOD OF LOW
LONG SHOULD THERE UNEMPLOYMENT IN HONG KONG. THIS MAY NOT LAST FOR LONG.SHOULD THERE
BE AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN (AND THE PROTECTIONIST PRESSURES OF INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES ARE IMPORTANT FACTORS) THIS WILL GENERATE SOCIAL TENSION: AND REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM, IF THEY REMAIN IN SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS, COULD WELL BE A TARGET FOR
DISCONTENT.
5. IN ASKING THAT THE DISPARITY IN ALLOCATION OF RESETTLEMENT QUOTAS IN 1979 SHOULD BE RECTIFIED IN 1980, HONG KONG IS REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF THE REFUGEES AS MUCH AS ITS OWN INTERESTS. IF FAIR ALLOCATIONS ARE NOT MADE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WOULD LOSE HOPE AND PATIENCE, AS WOULD HONG KONG'S LONG-SUFFERING RESIDENTS. THE FACT THAT REFUGEES ARE ALLOWED TO
LIVE RELATIVELY FREELY IN THE COMMUNITY AND TO TAKE UP EMPLOYMENT PENDING THEIR RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE IS GOOD FOR THE MORALE OF
REFUGEES AND EQUIPS THEM BETTER FOR RESETTLEMENT. BUT IT ALSO
MEANS THAT THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY A SLOW RATE OF RESETTLEMENT COULD BE GREATLY EXACERBATED, ESPECIALLY IF THE INFLOW
SHOULD RESUME.
MACLE HOS A
FILES
ARGO (4)
SEAD
UND
MR MURRAY
2
RESTRICTED
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