DRAMATICALLT TI
498 IN JANUARY 1982 TO 109 IN DECEMBER 1982.
US OFFICIALS NOW ESTIMATE THAT THEY WILL IN FUTURE ACCEPT LESS
THAN 10 PER CENT OF ALL NEW ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG. THE CANADIANS
ND FRENCH ARE ALSO CUTTING BACK ON THEIR PROGRAMMES. CANADA TOOK
2,000 IN 1981, 1,000 IN 1982 AND PROJECTS ONLY 420 IN 1983. ONE
PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT POINT IN THE CONTEXT OF THESE DIMINISHING
RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IS THAT HMG HAS DECIDED TO TAKE NO MORE REFUGEES, OTHER THAN SHIP RESCUE CASES. CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS
HONG KONG'S POSITION
5. HONG KONG CANNOT ACCEPT VRS UNLESS THERE IS A PROSPECT OF
RESETTLEMENT, FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
(A) HONG KONG IS ALREADY ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED
TERRITORIES IN THE WORLD:
(B) HONG KONG HAS REDUCED ITS OWN NATURAL POPULATION GROWTH TO CLOSE TO UNITY (1.2 PER CENT IN 1981) DESPITE A YOUNG POPULATION, A LOW DEATH RATE AND A HIGH EXPECTATION OF LIFE. BUT TOTAL GROWTH
WAS 2 PER CENT IN 1982 AND AS HIGH AS 6.4 PER CENT IN 1979 AS A
RESULT OF IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA. THERE IS NOW SOME PROSPECT OF A
REDUCTION IN THIS FORM OF IMMIGRATION BUT WE STILL HAVE ABOUT
27,000 A YEAR FROM CHINA, WHICH INCREASES NATURAL GROWTH RATE BY HALF:
(C) WITH THE AGREEMENT OF CHINA WE ARE RETURNING VIRTUALLY ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND OVERSTAYING VISITORS FROM THAT COUNTRY. THIS IS INEVITABLY A SEVERE POLICY IN TERMS OF SPLITTING FAMILIES AND SEPARATING CHILDREN FROM PARENTS AND EVEN SPOUSES.IT MEANS THAT CHINESE IMMIGRANTS ARE TREATED WORSE THAN VIETNAMESE, ATTRACT-
ING CRITICISM FROM THE PREDOMINANTLY CHINESE POPULATION:
(D) WE HAVE ABSORBED 14,000 VIETNAMESE SINCE 1975.
6. OUR ANSWER TO LOCAL CRITICISM OF THE CONTRASTING TREATMENT OF
ARRIVALS FROM CHINA AND VIETNAM IS THAT THE VRS ARE HERE TEM- PORARILY PENDING RESETTLEMENT. THIS LINE IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN SINCE 37 PER CENT OF THOSE NOW IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS AND THE IR RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS
ARE MINIMAL.
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