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with a significant proportion hailing from North Vietnam.
Tensions and even outright clashes betwen Northerners and
Southerners have compounded Hong Kong's problems and have
necessitated housing the Vietnamese in different centres
according to their origin. In 1982 the Hong Kong
government introduced a policy of confining all new
arrivals in "closed" centres in order to deter refugees
as humanely as possible from entering Hong Kong. The
K
UNHCR Mr Hoché made clear in September 1986 that although
he recognised all that had been done in Hong Kong to
take in asylum-seekers, the UNHCR remained, in principle,
opposed to a closed camp policy.
8.
In spite of the severe over-population problem of
Hong Kong, about 14,500 refugees have been accepted for
Some 100,000
settlement.
Over 8,500 have been found resettlement
8,500
places in third countries. About 11000 refugees remain
in the camps, about half in the "closed" centres.
Although the rate of arrivals tended to fall in 1985, it
has started to rise again in 1986, and the rate of
resettlement has fallen. A significant proportion of
arrivals in Hong Kong from Indochina are from North
Vietnam. They have fewer ties to or relatives already
settled in, resettlement countries, and tend to lack the
educational and other qualifications which would make
them eligible under normal immigrant procedures. After
long residence in North Vietnam, they have little chance.
of plausibly establishing refugee status. In particular,
the largest resettlement country, the US, will not
7
recognise their refugee status under the US Immigration
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