TNAG-1275-FCO40-1625-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 201

H.E. THE PRESIDENT:

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO REPEAT YOUR QUESTION, MISS BENNETT: WOULD YOU

LIKE TO PUT IT IN TWO PARTS?

REVD. JOYCE M. BENNETT:

YES. WITH REFERENCE TO PARAGRAPH 6 AND THE COMMENT THAT CANADA WILL

TAKE 1700 VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES FROM THAILAND, CAN WE BE GIVEN

THE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES IN SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY:

THE POPULATION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM

AS AT THE END OF DECEMBER:

HONG KONG, 12,631: MALAYSIA, 3,440: INDONESIA, 7,274: THAILAND, 3,374 PHILIPPINES, 3,861: SİNGAPORE, 480: MACAU, 960. TOTAL FOR THE REGION

42,062.

REVD. JOYCE M. BENNETT:

THEN, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT, POSSIBLY WITH THE

COOPERATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT, TO ENCOURAGE OTHER

COUNTRIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH SUCH AS CANADA AND AUSTRALIA TO

INCREASE THEIR INTAKE OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY:

SIR, I CAN ASSURE MY HON. FRIEND THAT ALTHOUGH BASICALLY THE JOB OF RE-SETTLEMENT IS A MATTER FOR THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION

FOR REFUGEES, WE SPARE NO EFFORT, WE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT,

TRYING TO PERSUADE ANY COUNTRIES WE THINK MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO TAKE

MORE REFUGEES. IN PARTICULAR WE MAKE SURE THAT WE DISCUSS THE ISSUE

WITH IMPORTANT VISITORS FROM THESE COUNTRIES AND WE MAKE THE LIVES

OF THE CONSULS GENERAL HERE A THOROUGH BORE ON THE SUBJECT, I CAN

TELL YOU.

MR CHARLES YEUNG:

SIR, WOULD THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY GIVE THE REASON WHY HONG KONG

HAS SUCH A SINGULARLY LARGE POPULATION OF REFUGEES IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM IN THE REGION? WAS IT DUE

TO THE OPERATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF WHAT THEY CALL FIRST IN,

FIRST OUT' BY THE RECEPTION COUNTRIES, OR RE-SETTLEMENT

COUNTRIES AND, IF SO, HOW DOES THAT PRINCIPLE WORK AGAINST THE

INTERESTS OF HONG KONG?

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/SECRETARY