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MDHOAN 7942
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE ATHENS
TELNO 133
OF 10150OZ JUNE 88
BERNE
AND TO IMMEDIATE STOCKHOLM, OSLO, HELSINKI, WELLINGTON, AND TO IMMEDIATE BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, MANILA AND TO IMMEDIATE JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, PEKING
AND TO IMMEDIATE OTHER EC POSTS
INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA
MIPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHANGE OF POLICY
1.
THE SPEAKING NOTE FOR USE WITH EC, NORWAY, SWEDEN, FINLAND,
NEW ZEALAND AND SWITZERLAND FOLLOWS:
BEGINS
(A) SINCE 1975 HONG KONG HAS GIVEN TEMPORARY ASYLUM TO NEARLY
120,000 BOAT PEOPLE. NONE HAS EVER BEEN TURNED AWAY. CONTINUING
PROGRAMME OF LOCAL RESETTLEMENT: SINCE 1975 HONG KONG HAS ITSELF RESETTLED LOCALLY SOME 15,000 INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS.
(B) INITIALLY RESETTLEMENT KEPT PACE WITH ARRIVALS (SEE
BACKGROUND NOTES FOR DETAILS). BUT AS ARRIVALS HAVE RISEN IN
RECENT YEARS, RESETTLEMENT HAS CONTINUED TO FALL. (SEE BACKGROUND NOTES). LAST YEAR'S ARRIVALS WERE UP BY 65 PER CENT
ON THE YEAR BEFORE: DEPARTURE DOWN BY 42 PER CENT. (C) TOTAL POPULATION NOW OVER 15,600 (1U JUNE) COMPARED WITH ABOUT 8,000 ONE YEAR AGO. THIS YEAR MORE THAN 7,000 ARRIVALS, COMPARED WITH 1,100 RESETTLEMENT DEPARTURES. AVERAGE 100 PER DAY IN MAY, 200 PER DAY SO FAR IN JUNE. 99 PERCENT OF ARRIVALS ETHNIC VIETNAMESE: 65-70 PER CENT FROM NORTH VIETNAM. MOSTLY
FARMERS AND FISHERMEN SEEKING A BETTER LIFE.
(0)
AS
HONG KONG A SMALL, OVERCROWDED TERRITORITY. RESOURCES NOW STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT. LOCAL PRESSURE FOR CHANGE IS MOUNTING AND CANNOT BE IGNORED. DISMAY AND ALARM AT SPIRALLING VIETNAMESE
BOAT PEOPLE POPULATION. A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR AFFECTING LOCAL
ATTITUDES IS CONTINUING PRESSURE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA. THESE PEOPLE, MANY WITH CLOSE CONNECTIONS IN HONG KONG, ARE ALL REPATRIATED: RECENTLY AT A RATE OF ABOUT 100 PER DAY.
RESENTMENT THAT THOSE ARRIVING FROM VIETNAM WITH NO HONG KONG
CONNECTIONS ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY. AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR IS
LOCAL CONCERN THAT HONG KONG, UNLIKE OTHER PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM, IS PAYING MOST OF THE COSTS OF HOUSING VIETNAMESE BOAT
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CONFIDENTIAL
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