TNAG-1916-FCO40-2720-Accommodation-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 74

CONFIDENTIAL

38

157241

MDLIAN 6241

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1840

OF 050959Z JUNE 89

HKB 243/30

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

INFO ROUTINE HANOI, WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR INFO ROUTINE PEKING, TOKYO

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: WEEKLY ROUNDUP:

-

2 JUNE

THERE WERE 3809 ARRIVALS DURING THE WEEK BRINGING THE TOTAL FOR THE YEAR TO 14,636. THE MAY TOTAL WAS 9198 AND THE TOTAL SO FAR FOR JUNE IS 2030. THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT THE CURRENT HIGH RATE OF ARRIVALS REFLECTS RUMOURS IN VIETNAM TO THE EFFECT THAT

THE JUNE CONFERENCE WILL ESTABLISH A NEW DEADLINE FOR REFUGEE STATUS. SUCH RUMOURS ARE NOT SURPISING BUT WE CANNOT ASSUME THAT THE RATE OF ARRIVALS WILL FALL AFTER THE CONFERENCE. WE ARE PLANNING ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE ARRIVAL RATE FOR JUNE WILL BE AT LEAST AS HIGH

AS THAT FOR MAY I.E. 9000.

ACCOMMODATION

2.

IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE

OUR ACCOMMODATION POSITION IS PRECARIOUS. ON 1 JUNE TO TAKE ANY MORE VBP INTO THE GREEN ISLAND RECEPTION CENTRE AND ALL NEW ARRIVALS WERE TAKEN TO TAI A CHAU, AN ISLAND IN THE SOKOS GROUP. BY THE END OF THE WEEK THERE WERE ABOUT 1500 PEOPLE AT TAI A CHAU. WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE MOST OF THESE PEOPLE VIA GREEN ISLAND TO WHITEHEAD, LO WU AND A NEW TENTED CAMP DURING THE NEXT WEEK.

PROTESTS AT WHITEHEAD

3.

A HUNGER STRIKE BAGAN AT THE WHITEHEAD DETENTION CENTRE ON 1 JUNE. AT ITS HEIGHT, 5000 PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED. THE VBP WERE PROTESTING ABOUT THE SCREENING POLICY AND THE PROSPECT OF REPAT- RIATION. THE PROTEST SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED BY A LEAFLET

WHICH AS BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN THE CAMPS BY VOLUNTARY WORKERS. THE HUNGER STRIKE ENDED ON 4 JUNE AND THE SITUATION QUICKLY RETURNED

TO NORMAL.

SCREENING AND APPEALS

4.

SCREENING PROCEDURES WERE COMPLETED FOR 20 PEOPLE DURING THE

1

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CONFIDENTIAL