TNAG-1068-FCO40-1318-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1981 — Page 122

THERE CERTAINLY ARE. AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CRISIS THERE

THE OVER 30,000 HERE. THERE'S STILL 20,000 IN CAMPS. IT IS IT'S NOT DIFFICULTY IN FINDING REFUGEES WANTING TO DE RE-SETTLED, IT'S FINDING REFUGEES WHO WANT TO COME TO BRITAIN. MOST REFUGEES WANT TO GO TO THE UNITED STATES WHERE

THEY THINK THERE'LL BE A FAR BETTER LIFE FOR THEM. HEARD FAIRLY BAD REPORTS ABOUT BRITAIN. THEY'VE HEARD OF THE HIGH INFLATION RATE, THEY'VE HEARD ABOUT DIFFICULTIES FINDING JOBS AND FINDING HOUSING.

R.W.:

ALSO THEY'VE

BUT WHAT CHANCE HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE OF BEING RE-SETTLED IN THE U.S.?

P.M.:

NOW LESS AND LESS. THE UNITED STATES HAS ALREADY TAKEN OVER 20,000 FROM HONG KONG ALONE, IT'S ALSO BEEN TAKE ING FROM OTHER PARTS OF SOUTH EAST ASIA. THEY'VE TAKEN LARGE NUMBERS

AND LIKE IN MANY WESTERN COUNTRIES IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT ECONOMIC TIME, THERE'S INCREASING RESISTANCE TO ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES. AND OF COURSE NOW IT'S THE LESS SKILLED AND THE LESS ABLE WHO ARE LEFT. THE DOCTORS, THE MEDICAL PEOPLE, THE HIGHLY TRAINED'

SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS THEY WERE ALL SELECTED AND RE-SETTLED AT A VERY EARLY--STAGE.

R.W.:

KONG?

P.M.:

ARE THERE MORE REFUGEES COMING IN FROM VIETNAM TO HONG

YES THERE ARE SIGNS THAT SOME MORE ARE COMING NOW. AFTER THE CONFERENCE IN 179, VIETNAME TURNED OFF THE TAPS BUT THERE'S BEEN ... DRIBBLING IN THIS YEAR IN THEIR HUNDREDS OVER THE MONTHS. THE INTERESTING THING, AT THE MOMENT IS THAT THEY SEEM TO BE COMING FROM NORTH VIETNAM AND THEY SEEM TO BE VIETNAMESE VIETNAMESE RATHER THAN ETHNIC CHINESE FROM THE

AND SOUTH WHICH IS WHAT A LOT OF THE EARLIER ARRIVALS WERE. THERE ARE THOSE HERE WHO ARE SUGGESTING THAT THOSE COMING OUT OF THE NORTH COULDN'T HAVE COME WITHOUT AT LEAST THE TACIT APPROVAL OF THE VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS AND THERE MAY BE SOME WORRIES NOW THAT THE FLOOD GATES MAY OPEN AGAIN.

R.W.:

PAUL MAIDMENT REPORTING TO US FROM HONG KONG.

UNQUOTE

5.

IS THERE ANY THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THIS? HERE, OF COURSE, WE TRY WHAT WE CAN.+++

NNNN

SENT-AT 1145

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