You mentioned also that the Committee was
encouraged by our efforts to urge other countries to resettle more refugees, and asked about progress
made so far. Many of the more than twenty countries we have approached have yet to decide how they will respond and it would be wrong for me to speculate about how many additional resettlement places might in the end be offered as a result of our campaign. However, I can say that all have expressed sympathy for the plight of the refugees in Hong Kong and have promised to look closely into how they might help. Australia has agreed to increase its intake from Hong Kong from 400 to 600 (and possibly up to 800) in the year ending mid-1986. Canada has increased its quota for Hong Kong from 600 to 650 for this year, despite reducing its overall ceiling for refugees from the South East Asia region. New Zealand has allocated 10 places to Hong Kong from an
additional 70 places for refugees from South East
Asia. The Netherlands have accepted 50 refugees, and are taking outside this quota 7 family reunion and 23 disabled cases. Finland has accepted 70 refugees including 8 family reunion and 22 disabled cases. As you will be aware, the US, which accepts more Indo-Chinese refugees than any other country, does not operate a quota system for Hong Kong or for any other place of first asylum, but from exchanges we have had with the State Department following the recent decision by Hong Kong to accept more refugees for settlement, it looks as if the numbers of Hong Kong refugees being taken by the US is increasing
/slightly
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.