St.
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For all these reasons
there is a strong probabililty that inaction
will lead sooner or later to a very much worse situation than that obtaining now.
VI OPTIONS
14.
Following is an
examination of options by which we might try to
(A) reduce the rate of arrival, (B) increase the rate of departure.
theoretical than real and are
Some of these options are
more
included for the sake of completeness.
Ministers in the past.
Some have been rejected by
A. Options designed to reduce the rate of arrival
15.
(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
have contingency plans for towing vessels with
illegal immigrants or refugees outside the limits of Hong Kong's
waters
in an emergency, but have never adopted such a policy in
respect of Vietnamese refugees.
would
act as
The only argument for such a course
i s that it would undoubtedly
an effective deterrent to
refugees making for Hong Kong. The arguments against are that it
involve inflicting unacceptable risks on the occupants of the
boats and would be indefensible in terms of common humanity, and our
obligations under the
the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. Ministers decided against adopting such a course
1984.
in March
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