TNAG-1527-FCO40-2091-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1986 — Page 10

- 13

—

The Government of

(c) In February 1986, Hong Kong agreed to accept for local settlement 20 refugees per month up to a maximum of 250 over the coming year. These refugees will be selected from among the longest stayers. (Close family reunion cases will be accepted in addition to this quota.) Hong Kong has also agreed to host on its territory a RASRO Transit Centre for refugees rescued at sea (details of this facility will be distributed separately).

(d) UNHCR considers this contribution by the Government of Hong Kong to merit a reciprocal international effort to clear the backlog of longstayers from Hong Kong. We therefore request all countries to expand their resettlement offtake from Hong Kong over the year ahead. To date several countries have indicated that they will accord a resettlement priority to Hong Kong. European countries are likely to accept around 1,000. It is hoped that the larger resettlement countries, together with Hong Kong, will bring this number up to 4,800 over the coming year.

(iv) Longstaying refugees in other Southeast Asian countries

(estimated need: 1,200 places)

Significant numbers of longstaying Vietnamese refugees exist in

In both Malaysia and the Philippines special programmes are underway to improve the integration potential of longstayers through special language courses and vocational training. These programmes are particularly important for single young men without links, for whom resettlement opportunities are rare. We would ask governments to recognise these efforts by accepting within their resettlement quotas a regular proportion of longstaying refugees with no links in any resettlement country.

Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

(v)

Unaccompanied Minors

(estimated need: 2,500 places)

Unaccompanied minors have generally been resettled at a faster rate than adult refugees. This priority should continue in the year ahead. UNHCR appeals to European countries in particular to consider enlarging their admission of unaccompanied minors without links.

(vi) Vietnamese refugees arriving in Thailand by land

(estimated need: 2,000 places)

(a) The Vietnamese "land refugees" are at present held in a border encampment in the midst of a Khmer refugee population. As a result ethnic frictions are causing violent incidents, including assaults and rape of Vietnamese women. The Thai authorities have recently approved separation of the Vietnamese from the Khmer at "Site 2". A transfer to the camp in Sikhiu, where Vietnamese boat refugees are housed at present, has not been allowed.