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STATISTICS OF REFUGEE ARRIVALS FOR HONG KONG AND FOR THE SOUTH
EAST ASIA REGION AS A WHOLE WHICH DEMONSTRATE CLEARLY THAT THE
HONG KONG ARRIVAL RATE HAS DECREASED CONSIDERABLY MORE SHARPLY
THAN THAT OF THE REGION SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE CLOSED CAMP
POLICY. (Q 223) IN OTHER RESPECTS HONG KONG IS AN ATTRACTIVE
PLACE FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS: IT IS GENERALLY RECOGNISED THAT THE
MATERIAL CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG'S CAMPS, INCLUDING THE CLOSED
CAMPS, ARE BETTER THAN THOSE OF MOST OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE
REGION. INDEED IT WAS PRECISELY BECAUSE OPEN CENTRE CONDITIONS
WERE ATTRACTIVE THAT HONG KONG APPEARS TO HAVE ACTED AS A MAGNET
FOR BOAT PEOPLE BEFORE THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY WAS INTRODUCED.
HMG CONSIDER THAT THE CONCLUSION IS INESCAPABLE THAT THE DECREASE
IN THE ARRIVAL RATE IS DUE TO THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY.
CONSEQUENCES OF ABOLISHING CLOSED CAMP POLICY
4. IN HMG'S VIEW THE REASONS FOR CONTINUING THE CLOSED CAMP
POLICY ARE THE SAME TODAY AS WHEN THEY WERE INTRODUCED IN 1982.
HMG NOTE THAT THE REPORT RECOGNISES THAT THE LATTER ARE
'UNDERSTANDABLE' (PARA 21). A SUBSTANTIAL FLOW OF REFUGEES
CONTINUES TO LEAVE VIETNAM. ALTHOUGH THE HONG KONG ARRIVAL RATE
HAS DECREASED MORE SHARPLY THAN THAT OF THE REGION AS A WHOLE
SINCE 1982, THE RESETTLEMENT RATE HAS ONLY JUST KEPT PACE WITH
THE ARRIVAL RATE AND BIRTH RATE IN THE CAMPS. IN HMG'S VIEW THE
LIKELY CONSEQUENCE OF ABOLISHING THE CLOSED CAMPS AND
TRANSFERRING THE RESIDENTS TO OPEN CAMPS WOULD BE THAT HONG KONG
WOULD BECOME AGAIN THE MAGNET FOR PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM THAT IT WAS
BETWEEN 1979 AND 1981. THERE WOULD BE A SHARP RISE IN THE NUMBER
OF ARRIVALS, WITH NO CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN RESETTLEMENT. AS
A RESULT HONG KONG, WHICH ALREADY HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF BOAT
PEOPLE AWAITING RESETTLEMENT IN SOUTH EAST ASIA (AND HAS DONE SO
FOR THREE YEARS), WOULD HAVE TO SHOULDER AN EVEN LARGER SHARE OF
THE BURDEN. WHEN ADDITIONAL FACTORS SUCH AS THE TERRITORY'S
EXTREME POPULATION DENSITY AND THE CONTINUING BURDEN OF LEGAL AND
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, IT IS
UNDERSTANDABLE THAT LOCAL HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD STRONGLY RESENT
SUCH A MEASURE. HMG'S CONCLUSION IS THAT AT PRESENT
CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO ACCEPT THE SELECT
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