DSR HIC
DETENTION OF REFUGEES
7.
Refugees who are allowed to land temporarily in Hong
Kong are not held in detention. New arrivals may be detained
while their cases are considered to see whether they qualify
for temporary admission. The law was recently amended to
allow the period of detention to continue beyond a month,
since under the previous law the Hong Kong Government had no
alternative but to return to their country of origin any
would-be immigrants whose cases had not been decided at the
end of a month.
PROSECUTION OF MASTER
8. The Master of the HUEY FONG has been charged with
carrying excess passengers. If convicted, he faces up to
four years imprisonment and a large fine. These penalties
were recently increased to deter trafficking in refugees for
profit. The laws do not apply in the case of genuine ship-
wreck survivors picked up at sea.
LEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA
9. The Government have made repeated representations to
the Chinese Government about the problem posed for Hong Kong
by the very high rate at which legal immigrants from China
have been arriving in the territory. We believe the Chinese
authorities fully understand the problem, especially the strain
that is imposed on Hong Kong's social services, and are making
genuine efforts to reduce the numbers. In recent weeks, the
rate of arrivals has declined significantly, though it still
remains at an unacceptable level.
/10.
p. 0532000 400 M S178 HMSO R.Lmall