TNAG-1418-FCO40-1901-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 197

we

CONFIDENTIAL

HMG IS NOT ACCEPTING ITS RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS SITUATION.

13. IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THAT SINCE THERE ARE ONLY 11,500 REFUGEES IN

HONG KONG, THEY COULD EASILY BE INTEGRATED WITH THE 5 AND A HALF

MILLION PEOPLE HERE. THIS IGNORES THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES WHICH

SUCH ACTION WOULD RESULT. FIRST, IT WOULD MEAN THAT THE REMAINING

RESETTLEMENT COUNTIES WOULD WASH THEIR HANDS OF HONG KONG. THEY

WOULD, WITH VARYING DEGREES OF PLEASURE, REALLOCATE THEIR RESETTLE-

MENT PLACES TO OTHER MORE POLITICALLY IMPORTANT COUNTRIES IN THE

EGION. THEREFORE ANY SUGGESTION FROM HMG THAT HONG KONG SHOULD

ACCEPT ALL OF A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE PRESENT VIETNAMESE

REFUGEE POPULATION WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATE AND DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES

FOR HONG ⚫ ONG. ITS MERE SUGGESTION BY HMG, WOULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION

Laven't Suggerled it _ HUMOR AT BEST, A MORATORIUM ON RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG.

!

14. SECOND, PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG IS STRONGLY AGAINST THE

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE RESENTMENT THAT THE

GOVERNMENT'S TREATMENT OF THOSE FOR WHOM THE LOCAL POPULATION HAVE

NO CULTURAL ETHNIC NOR FAMILY TIES, WHEN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATNTS FROM CHINA, WITH WHOM THEY DO HAVE STRONG TIES, ARE REPATRIATED IMMEDIA - TELY. THE SUGGESTION, THEREFORE, THAT HONG KONG SHOULD ACCEPT THESE PEOPLE, WOULD BE MET WITH CRITICISM AND POSSIBLY SOME CONSIDERABLE

HOSTILITY IN HONG KONG.

15. THIRD, THIS IGNORES THE FACT THAT HONG KONG HAS ALREADY ACCEP-

TED 14500 DISPLACED PEOPLE FROM INDO-CHINA SINCE 1975 ("OSTLY DETWEEN

1975 AND 1973). GIVEN HONG KONGS' CROWDED ENVIRONMENT, WITH

A POPULATION DENSITY 200 TIMES THAT OF THE US AND 20 TIMES THAT OF

THE UK, THIS MEANS THAT HONG KONG HAS THE GREATEST PER CAPITA

INTEGRATION IN THE WORLD. HONG KONG IS FACED WITH IMMENSE IMMIGRA-

TION PRESSURES, FOR EXAMPLE WE HAD 500000 NEW IMMIGRANTS BETWEEN

1973 AND 1983. THEREFORE WE CANNOT ABSORB MANY MORE. HONG KONG

CONTINUES TO ACCEPT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WITH CLOSE FAMILY TIES IN

THE TERRITORY. IT IS INEVITABLE THAT IF HONG KONG WERE TO BEGIN

TO ACCEPT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES THE ARRIVALS IN THE TERRITORY WOULD

INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT HONG KONG'S HUMANITARIAN

TREATMENT OF REFUGEES IS BEING EXPLOITED BY OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE

REGION. LOCAL ABSORPTION WOULD GIVE THEM ADDED ENCOURAGEMENT.

16. FINALLY, ANY SUGGESTION FROM HMG THAT HONG KONG SHOULD ABSORB

ITS REFUGEE POPULATION WOULD BE SEEN AS AN ABDICATION OF HMG'S

RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG. GIVEN THE FIRM STATEMENTS MADE REGARD-

CONFIDENTIAL

INC