TNAG-2625-FCO40-3816-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1992 — Page 23

CONFIDENTIAL

077262 MDHIAN 677

CRIME ALSO SHOWED A SLIGHT DECLINE.)

VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS

21. ON 16 JULY, THE TOTAL VIETNAMESE POPULATION IN HONG KONG WAS 52,700 (INCLUDING 3,200 WITH REFUGEE STATUS). THIS WAS 18 PERCENT BELOW THE PEAK FIGURE RECORDED IN OCTOBER 1991. BY THE END OF JULY, 20,000 PEOPLE WILL HAVE RETURNED TO VIETNAM UNDER THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME. THE ORDERLY RETURN PROGRAMME FOR THOSE SCREENED OUT AS NON-REFUGEES HAS BEEN INTRODUCED SUCCESSFULLY. PROVIDED THAT THE CAMP POPULATION CONTINUES TO SHRINK AT THIS SORT OF RATE, VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS WILL CEASE TO BE A MAJOR COMMUNITY CONCERN. WITH ONLY EIGHT ARRIVALS FORM VIETNAM SO FAR THIS YEAR, THIS PROBLEM WITHIN SIGHT OF SOLUTION.

PATTEN

SEEMS

YYYY

MAIN

61

.HONG KONG AGREEMENT

.(RESTRICTED)

HKD

PUSD

DISTRIBUTION

62

NEWS D

PLANNERS

RAD

ERD

PS/MR GOODLAD

FED//HD

LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BARRETT

.AND MS BROOKS

SIR J COLES

MR HUM

ADDITIONAL

1

NO 10//SIR R BRAITHWAITE

NNNN

6

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL