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17
of the Vietnamese boat people. The House was
informed of the decision of the Hong Kong
Government, taken with our full support, that
from 16 June all arrivals would be screened,
on the basis of UNHCR criteria. The intention
is to distinguish genuine refugees from those
whose motives for leaving Vietnam are purely
economic.
Hong Kong will continue to preserve access to
resettlement for genuine refugees. But the
great majority of arrivals who are determined
to be economic migrants will be detained
pending their eventual repatriation to
Vietnam, as soon as satisfactory arrangements
for their return have been negotiated.
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