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Mr. Chairman, despite the efforts of the
International community, Hong Kong still has the largest Vietnamese refugee population in the region awaiting
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resettlement; it has the largest number of long stayers; and it has the longest stayers. There are no signs that the level of arrivals will reduce markedly or that the refugee population in Hong Kong will reduce. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, resettlement is not enough... Although Hong Kong, like other places of first
asylum in the region, continues to rely on international burden sharing, we believe that other durable solutions must be explored. This must involve the
international community and the UNHCR.
Hong Kong is happy to continue to grant asylum to those leaving Vietnam in small boats. But we are finding that those whom we willingly accept as refugees are later determined by some resettlement countries
not to be refugees. This contradiction must be
resolved since it must otherwise strain the generous concept of first asylum and harm the credibility of resettlement
countries.
When he visited Hong Kong recently the High Commissioner expressed concern about the detrimental effects of the prolonged length of time that
refugees there were forced to await resettlement. The Hong Kong Government shares the High Commissioner's concern and, whereas it is attempting to ameliorate the
The stat Ter
situation (by providing more social and educational
it remains essented to find antage term
Mittag them to the programmes for refugees, the most effective solution
The problem. must be the development of policies and procedures which– speedily rectify the situation in which refugees find
themselves.
In 1979, Mr. Chairman, the international community
responded in a humane and compassionate manner to the
problem of the Vietnamese Boat people. But the solutions proposed then, and to which we
and to which we are still working,
need to be re-examined in 1986. As the High Commissioner said in his opening remarks during the General Debate,
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