TNAG-0975-FCO40-1194-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-other--1980 — Page 74

INFORMATION BRANCH

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

布政司署 新聞科

New World

1710 American International-Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-211381 香港皇后大道中16-18號 友邦行1710室 電話:5-211381

Our Ref.: IB 581/2 III

本署檔號

British Embassy,

Calle Presidente Franco 706

Your Ref.:

來函檔號

15th September 1980

HKK 243/5

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

19 SEP 1980

(PO Box 404)

Asuncion

Paraguay

Dear Chancery,

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

Awigla

I am writing to you in connection with the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees, in which it has been suggested that Paraguay may be able to take a share.

As you may know Hong Kong has borne a very considerable share of the burden of Vietnamese refugees in recent years. We still have more than 32,000 in camps here awaiting resettlement overseas, and the rate of resettlement of those in Hong Kong in countries overseas is the lowest for any country of first asylum in South-East Asia. This problem, compounded by the high rate of illegal immigration from China into Hong Kong in the last 2 years (in which it is estimated roughly 200,000 have entered illegally) causes us considerable concern. The Hong Kong Government is putting considerable resources into following up any reasonable avenue of potential resettlement.

One of those most concerned with the problems of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong is Dr Karl Stumpf. He is Director of the Hong Kong Christian Service (and was elected Hong Kong's Citizen of the Year in 1980). He has been touring a number of countries in Western Europe as well as the United States of America and Canada on behalf of the Hong Kong Government pleading the case for more refugees to be taken from here.

Dr Stumpf has recently come to us with a pretty tentative proposition from a Catholic contact of his. The essence of the proposal is that Paraguay might be able to take a further 50 or so families of peasant origin from North Vietnam. (We understand that Paraguay has so far taken about 50 individual Indo-Chinese refugees from Japan.) Vietnamese would be assisted to buy farming land in relatively 'virgin' areas. They would be helped to settle by local religious groups and voluntary agencies.

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