PM Transcripts

PRIME MINISTOR Press Statement No. 517
19 June 1975
VIETNAM4ESE REFUGEES
The Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam, announced today that
a total of 201 Vietnamese refugees will arrive in Sydney
from Hong Kong tomorrow. Mr Whitlam said this would be the
largest single group of Vietnamese refugees to leave Hong Kong
for any country to'date. The Prime Minister said that.
almost all those coming to Australia were unlikely to have
been offered resettlement in other countries and for this
reason their cases had received special consideration.
Mr Whitlam said that 126 of the refugees, were
adults, 65 were children and 10 were infants under two years
of age. There were 35 family groups and 6 single persons.
One-third of the family units were incomplete and almost
all were without close relatives here or in any other
refugee-receiving country to help them. Most were semi-skilled
or unskilled workers. Others were students without vocational
training.. The medical condition of most of the refugees was
quite good. They had been given the usual migrant medical
examinations and x-rays. After their arrival in Sydney, all
the refugees will go directly to East Hills Migrant Hostel,
where special arrangements had been made to receive them.
Mr Whitlam said that selection and approval for
entry of this group of refugees had been made because of
Australia's commitment to take her fair share of refugees
from Vietnam. Mr Whitlam said the Government continued to be
in contact with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees and would keep the position of refugees under
review. CANBERRA. A. C. T.