QUESTION NO. 1
REPLY BY THE HONOURABLE THE ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY
TO A QUESTION BY DR. THE HONOURABLE S.Y. CHUNG IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY 13 AUGUST 1975
Sir,
We have so far approached over 20 other Governments
with a view to their absorbing some of these 4,000 refugees.
I would like especially to pay tribute to the Governments of Canada and France which have acted swiftly and competently and have already taken 356 and 323 refugees respectively. I should also mention Australia which has taken 208. The
United States of America has, of course, had by far the
largest problem and has absorbed an infinitely larger number
of Vietnamese refugees than any other country. But from Hong Kong it has so far absorbed only 559 and about half of these left only yesterday. A number of other countries have promised
or offered to take smaller numbers and consultations are
continuing. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees
is also being most helpful and has offered financial assistance.
The effect of all this has been to reduce the number
of refugees from just under 4,000 to 2450 as of today. Ve
still have a long way to go but we are hopeful that the USA
in particular will take many more quite soon including, I believe, 250 due to leave later this week. If so, it should
be possible to close down the Harcourt Road Camp and concentrate
the remaining refugees in Dodwell's Ridge and Sai Kung Camps.
Sir, may I add that these cold statistics do not reflect the human problems of these refugees; many of them are
becoming frustrated and dispirited with waiting and it is to be
hoped that those countries which have so far not made any
arrangements to assist in this problem will now make tangible
efforts to help; it is not just Hong Kong's problem but an international responsibility.