TNAG-1277-FCO40-1627-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 117

refugees (A/AC 96/624) "Hong Kong shelters the

largest number of Vietnamese refugees in the

regi

and a special effort on their behalf

is called for".

4. Hong Kong is most grateful to the resettlement

countries for the continued help and I must

particularly mention in this context, the USA,

Australia and Canada. Whatever the consensus may

be as to the appropriateness of resettlement as

the durable solution to this problem, the fact

remains that a continuing resettlement programme

will be essential for some time to come.

5. In the past year two particular aspects of

the problem have emerged, still more permanently

than before. One is the so called "hard core",

the considerable backlog of people who are

effectively stuck in Hong Kong, and whose only

hope at present is that they will one day be

accepted for resettlement. Of the 14,000 such

people now in Hong Kong, 40% have been there for

more than 2 years; 33% for more than three years

and a very worrying total of no less than 25%

have been there for more than 4 years.

that priority be given to these people.

need is acute.

6.

I urge

Their

Secondly, in the past year the percentage of

fugitives from North Vietnam has increased

dramatically. In 1981 they were 17% of the total.

In 1982 22%. But so far this year they have

accounted for no less than 45% These people are

ethnic Vietnamese; they have very few if any

relatives outside Vietnam: they have had no

previous contacts outside their homeland which

/ would give

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