TNAG-1301-FCO40-1657-Visits-by-Richard-Luce--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1984 — Page 136

IN CONFIDENCE

the Chinese which led to the number of exit permits issued being

limited to about 50 per day. However, at the end of 1977 the rate

of arrivals began to rise sharply and by the end of 1978 immigrants

from China were crossing at a rate of over 300 per day. In December

1982, following a series of contacts with the Chinese, agreement was reached that the daily average would be kept to 150. Of these no

more than 75 are holders of two-way permits, who are required to

return to China on the expiry of their period of stay, if they have

not done so already.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

5.16 Since 1975, refugees from Vietnam have been arriving by boat

in Hong Kong.

In 1979 the influx reached its peak, with over 66,000 refugees arriving during the first 7 months of the year. Numbers fell sharply after the Geneva Conference on Refugees and Displaced Persons in South-East Asia in July 1979, but arrivals since have continued to be substantial. All refugees arriving in small boats (as opposed to those picked up by vessels belonging to third countries) are given asylum in Hong Kong, and accommodated in camps to await resettlement in third countries. Between 1975 and December

1982 over 100,000 refugees arrived in Hong Kong, and some 90,000

were resettled elsewhere, of whom over 50,000 went to the USA, and

over 11,000 to the UK. About 14,000 were accepted for permanent

settlement in Hong Kong.

5.17 Recently, however, the rate of resettlement has been slowing

down and the number of refugees in Hong Kong has increased. The Hong Kong Government have since July 1982 interned new arrivals in closed camps, in the hope that this will have a deterrent effect on those thinking of leaving Vietnam illegally. (Previously, refugees were given accommodation in open camps, which allowed them the opportunity to seek employment in Hong Kong.) This policy, which

has served to bring Hong Kong more into line with other Asian

countries, appears now to be having some effect on the number of

refugees arriving in Hong Kong: arrivals for 1983 were 51% down on

1982 figures, compared with a decrease of 37% in the South East