EFFECTIVENESS OF THE POLICY
3.
In
his oral
to the evidence
sub-committee, Mr
Luce provided statistics of refugee arrivals for Hong as a whole Kong and for the South East Asia region which demonstrate clearly that the Hong Kong arrival rate has decreased considerably more sharply than that
introduction of
closed of the
the
region
since
the
camp policy. (Q223) In other respects Hong Kong is an it is generally attractive place for asylum seekers:
recognised that the material conditions in Hong Kong's
camp s "
including
the
closed
camp s >
are
better
those of most other countries of the region.
than
Indeed
it
because
magnet
was
HMG consider
precisely was
open camp
as to have acted attractive that Hong Kong appears
for boat people until the closed
camp policy
the conclusion introduced.
conditions
we re
a
inescapable
that
the decrease
that
in
is
the arrival
rate in
Hong Kong is due to the closed camp policy.
CONSEQUENCES OF ABOLISHING THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY
4.
closed
were
In HMG's view the reasons
camp
introduced
policy
recognises that
21).
for continuing with the
they
as when
that the report
are
the
s ame
today
HMG
note
the latter are
in 1982.
"understandable" (para
A substantial flow of refugees
continues
to
rate
leave Vietnam. Although the Hong Kong arrival has decreased more sharply than that of the region as
a
whole
1982, since
just kept pace
birth
the
with the
rate in the camps
of
consequence
transferring the
Hong Kong would
from Vietnam that
resettlement
combined
rate
arrival
has only
and rate
likely
closed
camp s and
In HMG's view the
the abolishing
residents to residents to open camps would be that
become again the magnet for people There it was between 1979 and 1981.
would be a sharp rise in the number of arrivals, with
no
corresponding
increase
in
resettlement.
As