4.
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While in transit in Hong Kong and Taiwan, these ex-China persons are given food, water, fuel, maps, compasses and life-jackets before being escorted out to sea, and sent along their way up the coast of China toward their next destination. However, while in Hong Kong, Government Immigration officials interview each boatload and record basic data on each individual. The information on these lists has proven remarkably reliable.
5.
Most of the over 1750 such persons voluntarily departing Hong Kong in 1985 and early 1986 are suspected of being ex-China refugees. Of those departing Hong Kong, 169 have arrived so far in the Philippines (the fate of the remaining 1580 persons is still unkown).
6.
Additional groups of ex-China cases continue to pass through Hong Kong, headed for Taiwan and ultimately for the Philippines. Many ex-China cases report having received letters from their ex-China friends already in the Philippines, encouraging them to leave China and telling them how to go about it (what to say in HKG, how to get to Taiwan, what to say on arrival in the Philippines, etc.). Other groups,
still resident on their respective state farms in China are reportedly preparing for departure. Ex-China cases positively identified in Hong Kong are routinely returned to the PRC through bilateral IKG-PRC efforts once PRC authorization for their return (whether voluntary or not) has been obtained. Likewise, those ex-Chino cases reaching the Philippines should be returned, to the PRC lest these cases find that illegal entry into the Philippines does work and therefore serves as an incentive for more already-resettled refugees to try to leave the PRC and head for the Philippines. Therefore, the UNHCR believes that the disincentive of early return to China of ex-China cases must be arranged as quickly as possible between the PRC and the Government of the Philippines in order to discourage the arrival of additional ex-China cases
in the Philippines. While UNHCR cannot itself become involved in these bilateral arrangements, it can support these efforts both formally and informally.
7.
All groups of suspected ex-China cases arriving in the Philippines have been personally interviewed by the UNHCR Representative (using a trilingual English-Vietnamese-Chinese interpreter) who has confirmed the ex-China origin of 141 of them (Group 50/42 Laoag, Group 20 Aparri, Group 24 Laoag, and Group 55 Aparri) while finding 28 to be genuine refugees (Group 50/8 Laoag, Group 7 Bangui, and Group 13 Vigan).
8.
Of the 141 ex-China cases in the Philippines, 24 have already requested to return to China and await final processing after PRC clearance to return; 62 have not yet requested to return and are in the PRTC, Manila awaiting UNHCR-requested transfer to non-refugee facilities; and 55 remain at their landing site in Aparri under the care of the Philippine Coast Guard and local officials.
9.
UNHCR contends that ex-China cases are not of direct concern to UNHCR and should not be in UNHCR-financed facilities. The Philippine, Government; however, contends that these ex-China cases are at least refugee-related and therefore should be taken care of by UNHCR, and either resettled by UNHCR or returned to China by UNHCR.