TNAG-1425-FCO40-1908-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 109

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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

POLICY PAPER

I

INTRODUCTION

1. This paper surveys the problem of Vietnamese refugees in Hong

in

Kong, attempts to predict how it will develop if policy remains as

i t is now, and sets ou t possible options for improving the position.

I I

2.

BACKGROUND

About 1.5 million people have left Indo-China since 1975, over a

million of them Vietnamese. Over half a million boat refugees from Vietnam have arrived in first asylum countries including Hong Kong and many more have certainly perished en route. Since 1979 over

72,000 Vietnamese have left Vietnam under the Orderly Departure Programme (ODP) administered by the UNHCR with Vietnamese Government

cooperation. Currently over 160,000 Indo-Chinese (some 36,000

Vietnamese) await resettlement in camps in the area.

104,000 Vietnamese have reached Hong Kong since 1975; none have been

turned away.

All have been placed in camps pending resettlement

elsewhere. Hong Kong have themselves

accepted 14,500 displaced

Indo-Chinese, mostly from Vietnam, for permanent settlement. Hong

Kong's refugee population has now remained steady at 12-13,000 for

about two years.

This is more than the numbers of Vietname s e

refugees in any of the South East Asian countries awaiting resettlement, eg Malaysia (9,000), Indonesia (7,000), Philippines

(2,000).

il.

UK RESPONSE TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM : 1979 GENEVA CONFERENCE

3.

In January 1979, HMG agreed to admit 1,500 refugees from

Indo-China, in addition to the 300 or SO already here. I t was

decided that, because of our responsibilities for the territory 1,000 of these should come from Hong Kong. In July 1979, at UK

initiative, a conference was held in Gene va to deal with the

worsening refugee crisis. At that conference, the UK agreed to take

further quota of 10,000 Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong. At the same conference a general consensus emerged, though it is not

recorded formally in any document, to confer group refugee status on

a

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