TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 136

CONFIDENTIAL

2-0.HL7490.

CANADA AND

NATION OF INDO-CHINESE "AFTER THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE CHINA. IN PER CAPITA TERMS, WE ARE THE LARGESŤ BY A SÍGNIFICANT MARGIN. ONE PERSON IN 200 IS AN INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE.

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AUSTRALIA HAS ALREADY RESETTLED 78,000 INDO-CHINESE. THE ANNUAL FIGURE ROSE FROM 1,135 IN 1976/77 TO APPROXIMATELY 15,000 IN 1979/80. IN 1982/83 OUR INTAKE WAS 12,200. IN 1983/84, WE ENVISAGE AN INTAKE OF APPROXIMATELY 12,000, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THOSE ADMITTED UNDER THE O.D.P.

ALTHOUGH THESE FIGURES REPRESENT' A MODERATE REDUCTION IN INTAKE OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES, OUR OVERALL REFUGEE INTAKE WILL PROBABLY NOT BE REDUCED. WE ALSO INTEND TO CONTINUE WITH INDO-CHINESE RESETTLEMENT AS PART OF A BROAD COOPERATIVE EFFORT BY ALL RESETTLEMENT NATIONS.

AUSTRALIA IS A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS, A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY. SINCE WORLD WAR TWO, APPROXIMATELY 4 MILLION IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO AUSTRALIA. WITHOUT GLORIFYING MULTI- CULTURALISM FOR ITS OWN SAKE, WE ACCEPT THE OBLIGATIONS CREATED BY OUR MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY...

50, WE PURSUE IMMIGRATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES DESIGNED TO EASE ANY DISADVANTAGES SUFFERED BY MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: FOR EXAMPLE, THE FUNDING OF ADULT ENGLISH CLASSES, SOCIAL WELFARE WORKERS AND INFORMATION CENTRES.

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THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS RESISTED THE TEMPTATION DURING THIS TIME OF ECONOMIC RECESSION AND INCREASING UNEMPLOYMENT, TO REDUCE DRASTICALLY ITS MIGRANT INTAKE. HOWEVER, THIS INTAKE

HOWEVER, THIS INTAKE IS NOW BEING LARGELY CONFINED TO PROGRAMS WHICH HAVE A HUMANITARIAN OR COMPASSIONATE BASE.

THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S POLICY IS TO CONCENTRATE MAINLY ON FAMILY REUNION AND REFUGEE MIGRATION, WITH A FURTHER COMMITMENT 10 POLICIES WHICH DIVERSIFY THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF INTENDING MIGRANTS.

WHILE RETAINING A COMMITMENT TO INDO-CHINESE RESETTLEMENT AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL OPERATION, WE RECOGNISE THAT LARGE SCALE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMS WILL NOT CONTINUE PERMANENTLY. WE ARI OPPOSED TO ANY HEAVY INCREASE IN RESETTLEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM AS A PRELUDE TO AN ABRUPT WINDING DOWN OF RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMS. THAT IS, WE THINK THAT THE QUICK FIX WILL NOT WORK AND MAY WELL BE COUNTER PRODUCTIVE AS IT WOULD BE PERCEIVED BY MANY THAT IMMEDIATE RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS HAVE BEEN ENHANCED.

OUR DIVERSIFICATION OF THE SOURCE OF REFUGEES, IS BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT NO ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS OR REGIONAL GROUPINGS REPRESENTED IN OUR AUSTRALIAN POPULATION SHOULD FEEL THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT IS IGNORING THE PLIGHT OF THEIR FELLOW NATIONALS CAUGHT UP IN HUMAN RIGHTS ARUSES BECAUSE OF A PRE-OCCUPATION WITH INDO-CHINESE.

CONSEQUENTLY, THE AUSTRALIAN LAROR GOVERNMENT WILL INCREASE INTAKES OF REFUGEES AND OTHER HUMANITARIAN CASES FROM AREAS SUCH AS CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE MIDDLE EAST, AND WE WILL LOOK AT OTHER PROBLEM AREAS, AS NECESSARY.

I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED 85 PEOPLE FROM IL SALVADOR WITHIN THE LAST FEW WEEKS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN PRISON AND AMNESTIED BY THE EL SALVADORAN AUTHORITIES.

CONFIDENTIAL

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