:
for Hong Kong in terms of influx of refugees has been perhaps
worse than it has been already?
Mr Blaker: I saw that report. I am not sure that it was quite the emphasis
that I had intended to give in Singapore. It is believed that
there are still in Vietnam some 800,000 people of Chinese ethnic
origin and I think there were grounds some months ago for
fearing that it might be the intention of Vietnam eventually
to force all those people out. Now that would be very regrettable
and I hope that is not going to happen. I don't want to give the
impression that that is going to happen and certainly not that
it is inevitable.
The point that I wanted to make was that we have persuaded
Vietnam, and I think very largely by pressure of international
opinion, to slow down the flow of refugees very dramatically.
The number coming into Hong Kong is now one-tenth of the numbers
that have been coming in a few months ago and I think that we
should persuade Vietnam by every means available that this is a
better policy for them to follow than what she was doing in the
summer so that I hope that we would be able to persuade Vietnam
to continue the present moratorium.
Question:
You've got personal connections with Hong Kong and now special
responsibility as Minister. Can I ask you what is your reaction
either personally or in your capacity as Minister to remarks by
visiting MPs, critical remarks that Hong Kong is a police state
and the people are oppressed and that sort of thing. What is
your reaction ?
Mr Blaker: I haven't heard that particular remark about Hong Kong being a
attributed
police state contributed to the three MPs who recently have been
4
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here