HOLD YOU COMMENT ON THE REFUGEE CAMPS IN HONG KONG?
A THOUSAND A DAY
LORD RRINGTON: YES, I SAW THE TRANSIT CAMP AT THE DOCKYARD, AND THAT OF COURSE IS BASIC IN A WAY WHICH IS HORRIFYING. BUT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES I CAN THINK OF NOTHING ELSE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT CAN DO - PROCESSING PEOPLE, AND I THINK THAT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS IN ITSELF REMARKABLE IN GIVING EVERYBODY TWO MEALS A DAY AND DOING THE IR BEST TO PROCESS THEM, HAVING A FIRST AID POST WITH A DOCTOR, AND ALL THE REST OF IT. HO EVER APPALLING THIS MAY SEEM, IT IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS YOU CAN GET IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WITH ALL THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TRY ING TO PASS THROUGH.
THEY ARE TRYING TO PASS THROUGH. AND THEN I SAW THE OTHER CAMP, AND THAT OF COURSE IS VERY CROWDED BUT ITS VERY MUCH BETTER THAN THE DOCKYARD. ITS UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE
UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES, BUT ITS RUN BY THE HONG KONG CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. THEY ARE DOING A PRETTY REMARKABLE JOB TOO. IF I MAY SAY SO, COMING FROM OUTSIDE AND SEEING WHAT'S BEING DONE IN HONG KONG, WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO COME OVER, AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO COME OVER FROM CHINA, YOU CONSIDER THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, I REALLY DO THINK THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DESERVES THE GREATEST POSSIBLE PRAISE FOR WHAT IT'S DONE, AND THE WAY IT'S DONE IT I.
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD GIVE MORE MEDICAL SUPPLIES WHICH ARE URGENTLY NEEDED?
THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG: IF WE NEED THEM WE WILL HAVE THEM.
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK IT IS POSSIBLE, CONSIDERING PRESSURES ON HONG KONG, AND BRITAIN'S SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HONG
KONG, THAT ALL THE REFUGEES THAT WERE. TAKEN BY BRITAIN SHOULD COME FROM HONG KONG AND NOT FROM OTHER TERRITORIES?
LORD CARRINGTON; WELL, THAT'S CERTAINLY A POSSIBILITY.
I IMAGINE THERE WOULD BE SOME SCHEME ORGANISED BY THE UN HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES,
QUESTION: LOOKING AT THE AID QUESTION. AT THE MOMENT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS PAYING THE REGULAR AMOUNT FOR REINFORCEMENTS TO MAN THE BORDER. FROM MY FIGURES THE FOOD ALONE FOR REFUGEES IS ONE QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS A DAY.
DO YOU SEE ANY DIRECT AID COMING FROM BRITAIN BECAUSE OF HONG
KON'S HUMANITARIAN APPROACH?