Do not
CONFIDENTIAL
HUD 243/8
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESK BY 100100Z HONG KONG
TELNO 1493
OF 091345Z JUNE 88
1988
269
121244
MDHOAN 7838
TOP COPY
MIPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHANGE OF POLICY
1. DRAFT 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: DEPARTURES DOWN BY 42 PER CENT. (C)
TOTAL POPULATION NOW OVER 15,000 (6 JUNE) COMPARED WITH ABOUT 8,000 ONE YEAR AGO. THIS YEAR MORE THAN 6,000 ARRIVALS, AS COMPARED WITH 1,100 RESETTLEMENT DEPARTURES. 99 PERCENT OF ARRIVALS ETHNIC VIETNAMESE: 65-70 PER CENT FROM NORTH VIETNAM.
MOSTLY FARMERS AND FISHERMEN SEEKING A BETTER LIFE.
(D) 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 PEOPLE.
(E) WITH THE SHARP DROP IN RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS AND CONTINUING SHARP INCREASE OF ARRIVALS (WHICH CAN BE EXPECTED TO ESCALATE EVEN FURTHER DURING THE SUMMER WITH THE CHANGE TO FAVOURABLE WINDS), CANNOT SIMPLY PERSIST WITH EXISTING POLICY OF TREATING ALL ARRIVALS AS THOUGH THEY WERE GENUINE REFUGEES.
(F)
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE REVIEWED POLICY OPTIONS IN
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