TNAG-1540-FCO40-2104-Further-resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-i-1986 — Page 121

obtained which might not otherwise have been available.

In

addition, in response to another of SCORRI's

recommendations,

the Hong Kong Government has itself

decided to absorb up to 250 refugees from the Hong Kong

camps, and this process of absorption has already begun.

3.

a result of this combined effort Hong Kong's camp

population has reduced from 10435 a year ago to 8515 as

at 1 September: indeed the reduction would have been

substantial increase in the number of

greater but for a

リ

arrivals in Hong Kong during the past summer. However Boy

the end of this year most of the resettlement places made

available as a result of our "SCORRI" campaign will have

been used up. Only the programmes of the three main

resettlement countries (US, Australia and Canada) will

offer the prospect of significant resettlement, and even

this prospect is in some doubt. The Australians have

for Hong

already indicated that

that their current programme

Kong will not be increased unless HMG make a further

i

gesture. The Americans, whose next annual programme will

begin on 1 October, are on past form sure to take the

same line.

The programmes of other countries, which have

all been "one-off" responses to our own SCORRI decision,

will lapse in the absence of a further gesture on our

part.

4.

In this context I am most concerned that we now

seem to be nearing the end of the UK's current offtake of

family reunion cases from Hong Kong.

"SCORRI"

I

CONFIDENTIAL