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those leaving Indo-China by boat. The UK has SO far accepted around
19,000 Indo-Chinese although in the last three years it has accepted
less than 500 from Hong Kong. We have continuing international
commitments
to resettle family reunion and ship rescue cases.
III TREATMENT OF THE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
OPEN AND CLOSED CENTRES
5.
All refugees arriving from Vietnam are granted refugee status by
the Hong Kong Government under a provision of the Immigration
Ordinance (which was specially amended for this purpose). Initially
they were accommodated in open centres, run jointly by voluntary
agencies and the UNHCR and located in premises within the urban
are as provided
They were
able to move freely in and out of the centres, and to seek outside
employment. (Over 90% of adult heads of families and single adults
in the open centres are employed).
6.
by the Hong Kong Government.
in
Western countries in
Initially the rate of resettlement
response to the crisis was high; in 1979 the average monthly rate of
resettlement from Hong Kong was 2,000; in 1980 this rose to 3,000,
1981 it fell to 1,500; and when, in 1982, it fell to 770 per
in
month, Hong Kong's refugee population
rose accordingly (see Table
introduced the closed centre
Since that date, under a further
I Annex A). The Hong Kong Government
policy in July of that year.
Vietnam
special provision of the Hong Kong Immigration Ordinance, all newly
arriving refugees have been placed in closed centres, where they are
detained and are not permitted to seek
The aim seek outside employment.
of this policy is to deter would-be refugees from setting out
from
for Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government have attempted to
ensure that news of the policy reaches those still in Vietnam. The
centres are run by specially recruited staff of the Correctional
Services Department, which
also responsible for running Hong
Kong's prisons and other correctional institutions.
reimburses the Hong Kong Government
Government approximately one third of its
annual expenditure on refugees (HK$ 20 million out of a total of HK$
60 million in 1984).
is
The UNHCR
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