TNAG-1274-FCO40-1624-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 143

DEPARTURES

CONFIDENTIAL

RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG HAS FALLEN DRAMATICALLY FROM 37,468 IN 1980 AND 17,818 IN 1981 TO 9,247 IN 1982. FOR 1983, UP TO 31 OCTOBER 3,385 HAVE BEEN RESETTLED, AN AVERAGE OF ONLY 340 PER MONTH. FROM THE START OF 1982 RESETTLEMENT HAS FALLEN STEADILY, FROM 1,838 IN JANUARY 1982 TO 312 IN OCTOBER 1983, MAINLY AS A RESULT OF THE REDUCTION IN THE U.S. AND CANADIAN QUOTAS. OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS. BY WAY OF BACKGROUND THE CHIEF REASON FOR THE REDUCTION HIS THAT SINCE APRIL 1982 THE U.S.A. HAS APPLIED TIGHTER IMMIGRATION CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION OF INDOCHINESE REFUGEES. THIS INCLUDES REJECTION OF THESE WHO DO NOT MEET THE U.S. DEFINITION OF REFUGEE AND EVEN THOSE WITHIN THIS DEFINITION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS THEY HAVE CLOSE RELATIVES IN THE U.S.A. OR HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THESE NEW CRITERIA, THE OFFTAKE TO U.S.A., THE MAIN RESETTLEMENT COUNTRY FOR HONG KONG VRS, HAS BEEN REDUCED FROM 1,498 IN JANUARY 1982 TO 142 IN OCTOBER 1983. APPARENTLY AS A RESULT OF ANOMALIES ARISING FROM AN OVER-RIGOROUS APPLICATION OF THEIR REFUGEE DEFINITION'', U.S. POSTS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN INSTRUCTED TO RECOGNISE A ''PRESUMPTIVE REFUGEE STATUS'' FOR CERTAIN GROUPS, SUCH AS ETHMIC CHINESE FROM VIETNAM. THE EFFECT OF THIS CHANGE, IF ANY, ON U.S. OFFTAKE REMAINS TO BE SEEN AND 90 PER CENT OF THE 3,700 WHO HAVE BEEN STUCK HERE FOR OVER 4 YEARS ARE ETHNIC CHINESE. MEANWHILE THE CANADIANS AND FRENCH HAVE ALSO CUT BACK ON THEIR PROGRAMMES. THE CANADIANS TOOK 2,000 IN 1981, 1,000 IN 1982 AND 300 SO FAR IN 1983. THE FRENCH HAVE CEASED TO TAKE ANY VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG EXCEPT SHIP RESCUES AND FAMILY REUNION CASES. IN AN EFFORT TO TEST NEW RESETTLEMENT GROUND, EVEN SOUTH AMERICAN STATES HAVE BEEN CANVASSED BY HKG, TO VERY LBTTLE EFFECT TO DATE. ONE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT POINT IN THE CONTEXT OF DIMINISHING RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IS THAT HMG HAS ALSO DECIDED TO TAKE NO MORE REFUGEES EXCEPT SHIP RESCUES AND FAMILY REUNION CASES. CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS.

HONG KONG CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO TAKE MORE VRS UNLESS RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS IMPROVE, FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

(A) HONG KONG HS ALREADY ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED TERRITORIES IN THE WORLD.

(B) HONG KONG HAS REDUCED ITS OWN NATURAL POPULATION GROWTH TO ONLY 1.2 PERCENT DESPITE A YOUNG POPULATION, A LOW DEATH RATE AND A HIGH EXPECTATION OF LIFE. BUT TOTAL GROWTH WAS 2 PERCENT IN 1982 AND AS HIGH AS 6.4 IN 1979 AS A RESULT OF IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA, INCREASING THE NATURAL GROWTH RATE BY HALF. (C) WITH THE AGREEMENT OF CHINA WE ARE RETURNING VIRTUALLY ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND OVERSTAYING VISITORS FROM THAT COUNTRY. OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS. THIS IS INEVITABLY A SEVER POLICY IN TERMS OF SPLITTING FAMILIES AND SEPARATING CHILDREN FROM PARENTS AND EVEN SPOUSES. CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS. THIS MEANS THAT CHINESE

IMMIGRANTS ARE TREATED WORSE THAN VIETNAMESE, ATTRACTING CRITICISM FROM HONG KONG'S PREDOMINANTLY CHINESE POPULATION.

CONFIDENTIAL

/OUR