TNAG-1420-FCO40-1903-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 148

GRS 1150

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FICK 243/21

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

+27 SEP 1985

FM HONG KONG

DESK

REGISTRY

INDEX

PA

tion Takeh

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

TELNO 960

A

OF 26063OZ SEPTEMBER 85

AND TO IMMEDIATE HKGO'S BRUSSELS, GENEVA, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON INFO PRIORITY FCO, UKMIS GENEVA

VITENAMESE REFUGEES: SCORRI REPORT

MIPT. DRAFT PRESS RELEASE TO BE ISSUED IN HONG KONG FOLLOWING HMG'S PUBLICATION ON 26 SEPTEMBER OF THE WHITE PAPER RESPONDING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN THE SCORRI REPORT.

1. A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN WELCOMED THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER SETTING OUT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE RECOMM- ENDATIONS CONTAINED IN THE SCORRI REPORT ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG. THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE WHITE PAPER DEMONSTRATED BRITAIN'S INTEREST IN AND CONCERN FOR HONG KONG'S REFUGEE PROBLEM.

2. REFERRING TO THE BACKGROUND TO HONG KONG'S REFUGEE PROBLEM THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE FIRST VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG WERE THE 3,743 ON BOARD THE CLARA MAERSK IN MAY 1975. THEREAFTER, REFUGEES CONTINUED TO ARRIVE AND THE TRICKLE OF THE FOLLOWING YEARS TURNED INTO A FLOOD IN THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 1979 WHEN 66,045 ARRIVED. THE RATE OF ARRIVALS FELL SHARPLY AFTER JULY 1979. NEVERTHELESS, ARRIVALS SINCE THEN HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL - 6,788 IN 1980, 8,470 IN 1981, 7.836 IN 1982, 3,651 IN 1983 AND 2,230 IN 1984. HE SAID THAT 873 REFUGEES HAVE ARRIVED DURING THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1985. ALL REFUGEES HAVE BEEN GIVEN ASYLUM: NO ONE HAS BEEN TURNED AWAY.

3. ALTHOUGH THE NUMBERS ARRIVING IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN DECLINING, THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT HAS BEEN FALLING. 37.468 LEFT HONG KONG IN 1980, 17,818 IN 1981, 9,247 IN 1982, 4,200 IN 1983 AND 3,694 IN 1984. HE EXPLAINED THAT

2,937 HAVE BEEN RESTTLED SO FAR THIS YEAR.

1

4. THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT HONG KONG'S VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM WAS PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT. WE NOW HAVE ABOUT 10,500 REFUGEES WHICH REPRESENTS 28 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL IN THE REGION.

**IN ADDITION, THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT, ''APPROXIMATELY 2,000 OF HONG KONG'S REFUGEES HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MORE THATN 5 YEARS.' **WE HAVE THE GREATEST NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES AND THE LONGEST STAYERS, HE SAID.

5. TURNING TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE SCORRI

REPORT, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT

CONFIDENTIAL

|BRITAIN'S.

25