TNAG-1793-FCO40-2553-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 279

T

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CONFIDENTIAL

HUD243/1978

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON

TELNO 960

OF 07094OZ JUNE 88

AND TO IMMEDIATE OTTAWA, CANBERRA, TOKYO INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG

OL

O

DIST ?

648

110526

MDHOAN 7592

MIPT:

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: CHANGE OF POLICY

THE SPEAKING NOTE FOR USE WITH US, CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN FOLLOWS:

1.

BEGINS

K

(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 COMNPARED WITH 1,000 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

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CONFIDENTIAL