CONFIDENTIAL
1768 کتا
IMCO GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 5 16 NOVEMBER 1979
AGENDA ITEM NO. 15 (d):
SEARCH AND RESCUE
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MARITIME
Vietnamese Refugees rescued at Sea: Hong Kong Policy
(a) Passive Rescue
1. It is the present policy of the Hong Kong Government to
allow refugees, genuinely rescued at sea by commercial vessels
whose next scheduled port of call after rescue is Hong Kong, to land in Hong Kong, provided that a guarantee on resettlement
within a reasonable period is given by either:
(a) the country under whose flag the vessel is sailing; or
(b) the country of the owner/operator.
This policy is similar to that of other places in the region.
2. Hong Kong's earlier policy, adopted in 1978 when numbers were
smaller, was to allow refugees to be landed without such a
resettlement guarantee, and to take their place in resettlement
queues. Because of the huge inflow of refugees in 1979, and the
slow rate of resettlement, the Hong Kong Government has felt
obliged to change this policy as indicated.
(b) Active Rescue
3. Hong Kong has a marine search and rescue coordination respon- sibility which extends south to 15° North. Its facilities are,
however, only capable of providing assistance on isolated inci-
dents. It is the Hong Kong Government's view that the coordination facilities which it has available cannot sustain any standing
commitment to refugee boat rescues, nor are the radar or aeroplane facilities of Hong Kong capable of providing any significant
assistance to such a programme
CONFIDENTIAL