H.E. THE PRESIDENT:
RESTRICTED
WOULD YOU LIKE TO REPEAT YOUR QUESTION, MISS BENNETT: WOULD YOU
LIKE TO PUT IT IN TWO PARTS?
REVD. JOYCE M. BENNETT:
YES. WITH REFERENCE TO PARAGRAPH 6 AND THE COMMENT THAT CANADA WILL
TAKE 1700 VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES FROM THAILAND, CAN WE BE GIVEN
THE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES IN SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD?
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY:
THE POPULATION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN PLACES OF FIRST ASYLUM
AS AT THE END OF DECEMBER:
HONG KONG, 12,631: MALAYSIA, 3,440: INDONESIA, 7,274: THAILAND, 3,374 PHILIPPINES, 3,861: SİNGAPORE, 480: MACAU, 960. TOTAL FOR THE REGION
42,062.
REVD. JOYCE M. BENNETT:
THEN, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT, POSSIBLY WITH THE
COOPERATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT, TO ENCOURAGE OTHER
COUNTRIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH SUCH AS CANADA AND AUSTRALIA TO
INCREASE THEIR INTAKE OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG?
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY:
SIR, I CAN ASSURE MY HON. FRIEND THAT ALTHOUGH BASICALLY THE JOB OF RE-SETTLEMENT IS A MATTER FOR THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION
FOR REFUGEES, WE SPARE NO EFFORT, WE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT,
TRYING TO PERSUADE ANY COUNTRIES WE THINK MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO TAKE
MORE REFUGEES. IN PARTICULAR WE MAKE SURE THAT WE DISCUSS THE ISSUE
WITH IMPORTANT VISITORS FROM THESE COUNTRIES AND WE MAKE THE LIVES
OF THE CONSULS GENERAL HERE A THOROUGH BORE ON THE SUBJECT, I CAN
TELL YOU.
MR CHARLES YEUNG:
SIR, WOULD THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY GIVE THE REASON WHY HONG KONG
HAS SUCH A SINGULARLY LARGE POPULATION OF REFUGEES IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM IN THE REGION? WAS IT DUE
TO THE OPERATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF WHAT THEY CALL FIRST IN,
FIRST OUT' BY THE RECEPTION COUNTRIES, OR RE-SETTLEMENT
COUNTRIES AND, IF SO, HOW DOES THAT PRINCIPLE WORK AGAINST THE
INTERESTS OF HONG KONG?
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/SECRETARY