TNAG-1417-FCO40-1900-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 99

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to fall. Last year when over 27,000 left under the ODP, boat people departures will probably for the first time have

been exceeded by ODP departures.

Το

We have also to take into consideration the arrival into

the UK of ship rescue cases. As you know we have a continuing commitment to accept into this country refugees who are rescued

by British merchant ships. The exact procedure for this is described in paragraphs 7 and 8 of our Memorandum. date over 3,000 Vietnamese have arrived here as a result of

ship rescues. New ship rescue arrivals qualify for family

reunion under our existing criteria and therefore are likely to generate further arrivals under the ODP. We cannot

under our existing international commitments limit the

numbers who enter this way but one of the advantages of the

RASRO Scheme (see question j) is that we are more likely

to receive ship rescue cases who have ties with Vietnamese

in this country; they will therefore generate less future

intake under the ODP.

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