ANNEX B
EXTRACT FROM FCO MEMORANDUM TO SCORRI
ON WHETHER THE EFFECT OF ADMITTING TO BRITAIN EVEN A SMALL NUMBER
OF VIETNAMESE FROM THE CAMPS IN HONG KONG WOULD BE TO ENCOURAGE
OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE LARGER NUMBERS FROM THOSE CAMPS
1.
There is the following evidence that the lack of a further UK
quota for resettlement of Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong
provides a pretext for other governments to direct their main
resettlement effort towards those places of first asylum where their
own direct political interests are greater.
a)
Comparative resettlement statistics
The following table shows. that there is a wide disparity between the
number of Vietnamese refugees resettled from Hong Kong and the
number resettled from other places of first asylum, in proportion to
their total refugee populations:
HONG KONG
MALAYSIA
INDONESIA
THAILAND
PHILIPPINES
SINGAPORE
POPULATION OF VIETNAMESE
REFUGEES AWAITING RESETTLEMENT
ON 1 JANUARY 1984
DEPARTURES TO COUNTRIES
OF RESETTLEMENT
JAN-AUG 1984
12,770
10,077
6,036
8,057
2,236
286
1,940
7.165
4,475
4,646
1,455
>
422
I t
of
b)
is clear from these figures that Hong Kong comes low on the list
priorities of the main resettlement countries.
Statements by officials of resettlement countries and of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Australia
i)
An Australian Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs official told the Hong Kong representative to the 1983 Executive Committee meeting of the UNHCR that the Australians would not raise their quota of refugees from Hong Kong until HMG took more,
and
/advised
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.