HK 3ADR
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
N Ramamurthy Esq
Quaker Peace and Service
Friends House
Euston Road
LONDON N11 2BJ
Doan da. Ramamurthy,
17 September 1985
1KK 243/1
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18 CEP 995
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for of the Vietname se
70
Thank
you
problem
Hong Kong awaiting resettlement.
your
letter of 10
September
about
refugees who
are
in
camps
the in
are there
(not 159,978
some 10,500
these
as
At present
ircumstances
in refugees
your letter).
stated in
over half just since July 1982
in closed camps. Those accommodated are
Those who have arrived
of the total who
-
before arrived
in open
accommodated are that date camp s from which they are free to seek employment in Hong Kong.
It may be helpful if I explain briefly why there are two different types of refugee camps in Hong Kong.
in
to
Since 1975, Hong Kong has provided temporary asylum for over 100,000 Vietnamese refugees, all of whom have been accommodated
camps until resettlement places could be
relatively easy found for
for them. Initially this was arrange, and the refugees were able to depart quickly to the rate of By 1982 however, countries. third
and Hong considerably,
Hong Kong's to increase. The prospects of became arriving
resettlement
early
slowed had refugee population began.
resettlement
for
newly
very poor.
In
these
refugees
circumstances the Hong Kong Government felt that from Vietnamese further to discourage
With great reluctance
i t was essential
setting out by boat for Hong Kong.
of that year.
Success.
they therefore introduced the closed camp policy in July to have had s ome appears The policy
down on 1983 38% 1984 were Arrivals for
the 17% for decrease of only 17% a whole. The closed camps are run in cooperation with the office of the United Nations
figures, compared with
South East Asian region as
High Commissioner
for
them.
Refugees,
which
to helps
fund
(+)
1
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