§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what countries have been approached with regard to permanent resettlement of Hong Kong's Vietnamese refugees; what was the number of refugees resettled in the periods 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86 and 1986–87 to date; and what agreements have been reached by Her Majesty's Government on behalf of the Hong Kong Government with respect to its refugee problem.
§ Mrs. ChalkerSince 1979 we have approached a very wide range of countries to seek their assistance in resettling refugees from Hong Kong.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bermuda
- Canada
- China
- Denmark
- Finland
- France (incl. New Caledonia)
- German Federal Republic
- Greece
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Japan
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- USA
- Vanuatu
We have not, however, entered into formal agreements with any Government or organisation with respect to the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong. Substantial numbers of refugees have been resettled in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong itself.
In 1983, 4,200 Vietnamese refugees were resettled from Hong Kong. The figures for 1984, 1985 and 1986 were 3,694, 3,953 and 3,816 respectively. We remain in close contact with resettlement countries and with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees as part of our continuing efforts to identify a durable solution to this sad problem.