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CONFIDENTIAL
NOTES ON FAMILIARISATION TOUR:
HONG KONG 10-13 NOVEMBER
Introduction
1. Two and a half of the three days in Hong Kong were taken
up with visits to refugee camps and detention centres and discussions with Hong Kong Government officials, local
voluntary agency workers, international agencies and foreign
diplomatic representatives. On the remaining morning, I
accompanied Mr Orr, the Assistant Political Adviser, and other HKG officials who were escorting the Vice Governor of Gwangdong province on a visit to the new town development of
Shatin in the New Territories. I also attended one of the
approximately quarterly meetings of the Hong Kong Community Council for the Resettlement of Vietnamese Refugees, a
local analogue of the JCRV Advisory Committee, chaired by
the Chief Secretary and Acting Governor, Sir Jack Cater.
HKG officials were extraordinarily generous of their time
and assistance, and arranged at short notice a useful flying
visit to the remote Chi Ma Wan detention centre which houses
the 'China cases', whose status gives UNHCR Protection Division such concern (see paragraph 3).
Refugee Conditions
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1
2. The Hong Kong refugee handling operation has of course
now stabilised, and there were clearly mature links between
the various Departments involved - primarily the Refugee
Division of Security Branch, Immigration, the Information
Division, the Political Adviser's Office and the Police ?
Special Branch, who debrief refugees on arrival, largely to determine whether they have been previously unsettled in China. I had discussions with the heads or acting heads
of all these elements (see Annex). The two camps which I
saw in Kowloon, Kai Tak North and East, are run by the
Hong Kong Branch of the British Red Cross and by Caritas respectively for UNHCR, and currently hold approximately 8,500 and 5,000 refugees respectively. Upwards of two thirds of adults have jobs outside (only 6% of refugees receive food allowances from UNHCR) and both camps were
CONEIĦENTIAL.
HKGD
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