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FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2216
OF 08093OZ JUNE 88
HUD 243/8
TOP
MIPT : OPERATION WATCHMAN : SPEAKING NOTES
1. OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES (ACTION DATE 14 JUNE): PARTNERS, THE SCANDINAVIANS, NEW ZEALAND.
2. (1)
INTRODUCTORY POINTS:
251
114524
MDLIAN 3516
UK'S EC
(A) SINCE 1975 HONG KONG HAS GIVEN TEMPORARY ASYLUM TO NEARLY 120,000 BOAT PEOPLE. NINE 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 BACK- GROUND NOTES BELOW FOR DETAILS). BUT AS ARRIVALS HAVE RISEN IN RECENT YEARS, RESETTLEMENT HAS CONTINUED TO FALL. (SEE BACK- GROUND NOTE). 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 15,000 (6 JUNE). THIS YEAR MORE THAT 6,000 ARRIVALS, AS COMPARED WITH 1,100 RESETTLEMENT DEPAR- TURES: 99 PER CENT OF ARRIVALS ETHNIC VIETNAMESE: 65-70 PERCENT FROM NORTH VIETNAM. MOSTLY FARMERS AND FISHERMENT SEEKING A BETTER LIFE.
(D) HONG KONG A SMALL, OVERCROWDED TERRITORY. RESOURCES NOW STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT. LOCAL PRESSURE FOR CHANGE IS MOUNTING AN CANNOT BE IGNORED. 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. ANOTHER FACTOR IS LOCAL CONCERN ABOUT HONG KONG, UNLIKE OTHER PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM, PAYING MOST OF COST OF HOUSING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
(E) WITH THE SHARP DROP IN RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS AND CONTINUING
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