TNAG-1853-FCO40-2628-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 41

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB 011 / 3

505

110350

MDHIAN 8729

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 121000Z FCO

TELNO 4081

OF 1209OOZ DECEMBER 89

(502

TOP COPY Q Dim?

YOUR TELNO 2460: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: FAC EVIDENCE SESSION

(A) AND (B) THE MAPS YOU HAVE REQUESTED FOLLOW BY FAX.

(C) WE HAVE COMPLETED WHITEHEAD STAGES 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A AND 4A WHICH PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION FOR 13,000 PEOPLE. STAGE 3B AND 4B FOR A FURTHER 5,000 WILL BE COMPLETED IN EARLY JANUARY. STAGE 2CA FOR 3,300 WILL ALSO BE COMPLETED BY EARLY JANUARY AND 2CB FOR 5,100 BY LATE MARCH. ON FULL COMPLETION, WHITEHEAD WILL HAVE A DESIGN CAPACITY OF ABOUT 26,400.

THE FIRST STAGE OF HIGH ISLAND, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE 4800 PEOPLE, WAS COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER. THE FINAL STAGE, WITH CAPACITY FOR ABOUT 2,400, WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN DECEMBER. THIS HAS SLIPPED FOR LACK OF FUNDS AND IS NOW UNLIKELY TO BE FINISHED BEFORE THE END OF FEBRUARY. WHEN FULLY DEVELOPED, HIGH ISLAND WILL ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 7000 PEOPLE. THIS WILL COMPLETE OUR CURRENT CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME.

(D) USD 30 POCKET MONEY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO EACH ADULT IN THE FIRST

BATCH OF INVOLUNTARY RETURNEES. USD15 IS GIVEN TO PARENTS FOR EACH

CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF 18. THIS IS LESS THAN THE USD50 (USD 25 FOR CHILDREN) GIVEN BY UNHCR. WE THINK IT ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAIN A DIFFERENTIAL IN FAVOUR OF VOLUNTEERS.

WILSON

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

116

DISTRIBUTION

124

.VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HK

LIMITED

HKD

RMD

PS

PS/MR MAUDE

PAGE

1

CONFIDENTIAL