TNAG-1425-FCO40-1908-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 239

CONFIDENTIAL

increased

(although in

1984 the proportion

Resettlement countries are reluctant to accept

true

have

slightly declined).

simply in

Hong Kong

that Northerners are

refugees fleeing from political oppression when, unlike those from the South, they have lived under communist rule for 30 years. They regard them instead as "economic migrants" who are

search of a better future. Surveys conducted by the Immigration Department

indeed shown that 54% of new arrivals

since early 1983 have left Vietnam for economic reasons, whereas only 26% have done SO for political reasons. (The remaining 20%

have left for other reasons, eg to seek family reunion). However, whatever the initial reason for departure, as long as the Vietnamese refuse to take them back, there is little option in practice but to continue to treat "economic migrants" as refugees, which is

consistent with the understanding reached during the 1979 Geneva

Conference, even though they may be subject to neither ethnic nor political persecution.

#

(FOOTNOTE)

status of refugees defines a

well-founded fear of being

The 1951 Convention relating to the

refugee as any person who "owing to

persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of

a particular social group or political opinion, i s outside the

country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself

of the protection of that country; or

who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it".

i s

CONFIDENTIAL