HKCS
HOLLAND Report by Dorothy Lee and K.L. Stumpf
Date: 26th May 27th May, 1980
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Boxtel, 26th May: Accompanied by Mr, Wesselingh of Caritas we visited
a reception centre at Boxtel, a former Catholic monastery in pleasant rural surroundings. Holland has 34 centres of which Boxtel is the
largest at present housing 110 residents; the majority are single adults, some under 21 years of age. Financed by government (Ministry of Culture and Social Work) which subvents a coordinating body made up of voluntary organizations which are also in charge of follow-up work including
housing and employment. The young man in charge is an anthropologist
who stated that this is the worst of all centres. The place looks
neglected and untidy. Residents who are all non-Chinese speaking
ethnic Vietnamese are irresponsive and display little sense of
responsibility. They have 400 hours Dutch language training but
results are discouraging. During their stay in the centre, residents receive generous social benefits which usually go into purchasing of luxury items (Hi-Fi etc.). General hygiene and behaviour leave much
to be desired partly due to untrained and inadequate staff. A good deal of Dutch volunteers assist in integration and recreation.
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Den Haag 27th May:
a) Meeting with Mr. Brouwer, UNHCR-Representative, also connected
with an organisation "1976 Dutch Refugee Assistance". He stated
that Holland in 1980 may take refugees from Hong Kong, number not yet decided.
Introduced to Mr. Kusters of "1976 Dutch Refugee Assistance" who shares office with UNHCR, indicated that any project proposals
from Hong Kong for financial assistance will be favourable considered. All indications are that considerable funds are continually being raised and available to agencies for Vietnamese refugees.
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