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South-East Asia (Refugees)
[Mr. Richard Luce]
14 MAY 1985
Vietnamese who have settled in this country and to finding permanent solutions for the 11,200 who are still in Hang Kong awaiting resettlement.
My hon. Friend referred to the remarks of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Hartling -who is now visiting Hong Kong-to the effect that Britain should
“take an initiative that would encourage other countries to take
more.
17
I said in my evidence to the sub-committee on race relations and immigration on 4 February that
“a clear indication that we are prepared to carry out a resettlement programme, linking it perhaps to special family reunion cases, and that we have very positive proposals and ideas in this connection, could well produce a response."
I believe this to be the position, but there obviously can be no guarantee.
As my hon. Friend the Minister said on 9 May, the Government will look at the question of the United Kingdom accepting more refugees, especially family reunion cases, in the context of their consideration of the Select Committee's recommendations. It is, therefore, inappropriate for me to comment in more detail, save to stress that the Government are treating the matter as one of very great importance and urgency.
I wish to praise the contribution already made by other countries towards helping to solve Hong Kong's refugee problem. The United States, Canada and Australia have accepted 55,000, 16,000 and 4,400 refugees respectively from Hong Kong. I am pleased to say that Canada has just announced a decision to take an additional 500 refugees this year from Hong Kong on top of the 600 that it had already agreed to take. That means that this year it will take the same number as last year.
In particular, I must thank the Hong Kong Government and people for what they have done to help the Vietnamese refugees. Since 1975 they have provided temporary asylum for more than 100,000 refugees. In addition, they have themselves absorbed more than 14,000. They have turned none away. It is a remarkable humanitarian achievement for such a small and densely crowded territory.
In regard to the difficult problem of the closed camp, as I said in my evidence to the Select Committee on 4 February, the position of having 5,600 refugees in closed camps and an equal number in open camps--but I refer particularly to the closed camps is such that no Minister can conceivably say that it is satisfactory, desirable or acceptable. It is not. Nor is it satisfactory or desirable for the Hong Kong Government. We and the Hong Kong Government would like camps to be abolished as soon as possible. But we have to face reality. Hong Kong is one of the most crowded places in the world. The population density is 20 times that in this country. It has received more than 100,000 refugees since 1975. It has enormous immigration presssure simultaneously from China. It has been difficult for the people of Hong Kong
South-East Asia (Refugees)
306
to accept that Chinese, often kith and kin, should be returned to China, while Vietnamese remain in Hong Kong pending resettlement overseas.
I ask my hon. Friend to bear in mind that the evidence shows that, however painful the process of introducing those camps in 1982, it has led to an increase in the decline in the number of people arriving from Vietnam in relation to the number of people who have been going from Vietnam to other countries. The figures for the period from 1981 to 1984 demonstrate clearly that there has been a decrease in the numbers arriving in Hong Kong. In 1983 the arrivals decreased by 53 per cent. but on a regional basis by 36 per cent. In 1984 the Hong Kong arrivals decreased by 39 per cent. and the regional arrivals by 11 per cent.
Those who argue that Hong Kong's refugee burdens were already declining when closed camps were introduced should bear in mind that in July 1982, the month in which Hong Kong changed its policy, arrivals in the territory reached their highest level for three years. More than 1,600 refugees arrived in Hong Kong in a single month. I ask my hon. Friend to bear in mind that it is terribly important to take these factors into account and to consider the difficult position of the people of Hong Kong√
The Hong Kong Government make every effort to meet the needs of refugees for shelter, food, medical treatment, clothing, education, welfare and recreational facilities. In particular, they are devoting considerable attention and resources to improving educational and training oppor- tunities. They seek to provide educational and vocational training, with emphasis on English, in all Government-run centres. In Hei Ling Chau closed centre for the North Vietnamese where the resettlement rate is therefore lowest and potential integration problems greater, the Hong Kong Government intend to provide special multi-
i-purpose training centre, to be funded by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and run by the World Relief voluntary agency. We all hope that will help.
In particular, my hon. Friend referred to the segregation of husbands and wives. That is one of the most difficult and humane problems that one has to deal with. The problem is that if we allow people from closed camps to join their spouses in open camps there is a serious danger of abuse of the system which must be taken into account. In the meantime, there have been 50 applications for reunion in closed centres; 37 of them have been approved I shall consider very carefully the recommendation that my hon. Friend has made.
Again, I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. Our objective is to seek durable solutions to these painful problems. In looking to the future, we believe that in the long term the ideal goal is to create conditions in which refugees will want to return to their countries of origin of their own free will. They must not be denied that aspiration.
Question put and agreed to.
Adjourned accordingly at sixteen minutes to Two o'clock.
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