TNAG-1277-FCO40-1627-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 72

RESTRICTED

to meet new needs and away from declining tasks. Geographical

distribution is a laudable objective, but must not be allowed

to detract froz efficiency.

We applaud the efforts being devoted

to better management of the office: efficiency, good morale and

fairess require effort.

UK CONTRIBUTION

17. During the year the UK's contributions for refugee relief

have totalled over £16 million, a new record. The Afghan relief

operation in Pakistan has attracted a large part of this,

reflecting the importance of this particular problem.

addition the UK contributes one-fifth of European Community aid to UNHCR. Our financial contribution to the needs of refugees totalled some £24 million during the past year.

In

18. Looking ahead, I am happy to announce today a new pledge

of British aid to refugees totalling £3 million in all.

£1 million of this is to be for refugees in the Sudan and the

remaining £2 million for the Afghan refugee relief effort. Of

this, £1.5 million is to be for UNHCR, two-thirds of it for the

World Bank/UNHCR income generating projects. Of the £1 million

for refugees in the Sudan, half is for UNHCR.

HONG KONG

19. A particular concern for the United Kingdon is the problems which Hong Kong is currently experiencing. Hong Kong is a very small territory with a population of 5.3 million. This is

equivalent to an overall density of about 5,000 persons per square kilometer compared with 230 in the UK and 22 in the USA. Its

population has swelled by more than half a million since 1978.

Despite this it has taken for permanent resettlement in Hong Kong some 14000 refugees and displaced persons since 1975 and

RESTRICTED

/has given