DEBATE: THURSDAY 9 MAY
MR CLIVE SOLE Y MP:
THE REUNION OF MISS MINH THI BUI AND HER FAMILY CURRENTLY LIVING IN A CLOSED CAMP IN HONG KONG
I congratulate the hon Member on securing an Adjournment
Debate on a case which is both, naturally, of deep concern to
his constituents [as he has eloquently explained] and also
raises the very topical general issue of Vietnamese refugees in
camps in Hong Kong.
2.
Before I turn to the details of the case of Miss Bui's
relatives, it may help the House to set it in context if I first
briefly outline the position of Vietnamese refugees in Hong
Kong.
3.
When the Vietnamese boat people first began arriving in
Hong Kong in the 1970s they were settled in open camps. These
camps afforded them a degree of security, and at the same time
they were free to come and go as they wished and to take
employment in Hong Kong. That remains the situation in the open
camps today. However, because of the continuing large numbers
of refugees arriving in Hong Kong and the pressures that that
imposed on a small crowded territory, "closed" camps had to be
introduced in July 1982. They were set up by the Hong Kong
authorities as a humane means of discouraging other Vietnamese
from coming to Hong Kong. All refugees arriving in Hong Kong
placed since July 1982 have been located to these camps. While they ? provide accommodation and meals, the inhabitants are not
permitted outside the camp boundaries and do not have the
opportunity to take employment. The Government of Hong Kong,
and ultimately my right hon Friend the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the camps. in corperatan with
the UNHER? who helps to fund them.
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