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INACTION WILL LEAD SOONER OR LATER TO A VERY MUCH WORSE SITUATION
THAN THAT OBTAINING NOW.
VI BEGIN UNDERLINING OPTIONS END UNDERLINING
13. FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMINATION OF OPTIONS BY WHICH WE MIGHT TRY
TO (A) REDUCE THE RATE OF ARRIVAL, (B) INCREASE THE RATE OF
DEPARTURE. SOME OF THESE OPTIONS ARE MORE THEORETICAL THAN REAL
AND ARE INCLUDED FOR THE SAKE OF COMPLETENESS. SOME HAVE BEEN
REJECTED BY MINISTERS IN THE PAST.
A.
14.
OPTIONS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE RATE OF ARRIVAL
(A) TOW NEWLY ARRIVING BOATS OUT TO SEA
MACAU, SINGAPORE, THAILAND, MALAYSIA AND BRUNEI HAVE ALL DONE THIS (THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN FEW REPORTS OF SUCH ACTION
RECENTLY). THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR
TOWING VESSELS WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, INCLUDING REFUGEES,
OUTSIDE THE LIMITS OF HONG KONG'S WATERS IN AN EMERGENCY, BUT
HAVE NEVER ADOPTED SUCH A POLICY IN RESPECT OF VIETNAMESE
REFUGEES. THE ONLY ARGUMENT FOR SUCH A COURSE IS THAT IT WOULD
UNDOUBTEDLY ACT AS AN EFFECTIVE DETERRENT TO REFUGEES MAKING FOR
HONG KONG. THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST ARE THAT IT WOULD INVOLVE
INFLICTING UNACCEPTABLE RISKS ON THE OCCUPANTS OF THE BOATS AND
WOULD BE INDEFENSIBLE IN TERMS OF COMMON HUMANITY, AND OUR
OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL COVENENT ON CIVIL AND
POLITICAL RIGHTS. MINISTERS DECIDED AGAINST ADOPTING SUCH A
COURSE IN MARCH 1984.
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(B) INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION TO VIETNAM
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS PROPOSED THIS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS
SINCE 1982. THE PROPOSALS ARE BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT THE
MAJORITY OF ARRIVALS ARE NOW NOT TRUE REFUGEES, AND THEY SHOULD
THEREFORE BE TREATED IN THE SAME WAY AS PERSONS FROM OTHER
COUNTRIES SEEKING TO ENTER HONG KONG: NEW ARRIVALS WOULD BE
SCREENED, AND THOSE WHO LACKED EITHER PROPER DOCUMENTATION OF CONVINCING GROUNDS ON WHICH TO CLAIM ASYLUM WOULD BE TREATED AS
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND RETURNED TO VIETNAM. ONLY THOSE ABLE TO
PROVIDE CONVINCING GROUNDS ON WHICH TO CLAIM ASYLUM AS REFUGEES
WOULD BE GRANTED IT. THIS WOULD BE IN KEEPING WITH HONG KONG'S
TREATMENT OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA, WHO HAVE BEEN
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