Vietnamese Refugees in Hong Kong's Closed Camps
by Clare Hanbury
Summary of specific points of criticism/inaccuracies in Ms. Hanbury's report and CSD's comments on them
Mi fint PA
2715
Ons
23/5
Extracts from the Report
Fact sheet
1. Arrivals: "In 1987, 320 children
were born within the closed camps".
HKD 243/4
нко
CSD's Comments
In 1987, 195 children were born within the closed camps. The figure 320 represents births among the Vietnamese refugee population as a whole (i.e. including the open centre).
2.
3.
Camp Administration
"The Department is known to have blacklisted a number of journalists sympathetic to the cause of Vietnamese in Hong Kong's closed camps.
The department has never blacklisted any journalists. For 1987/88, there were a total of 53 visits (by 105 journalists). Such visits are arranged either through the Overseas Public Relations Sub-Division of ISD for overseas journalists or the Public Relations Unit of CSD for local journalists.
"In October 1987, same (CSD
workers).. dressed up as refugees waiting to be examined by the doctor;
they had thrown all refugees out of the clinic".
On 14.10.87, 4 members of Parliament from UK accompanied by Security Branch officers visited the Clinic. The duty Medical Officer assured CSD that no staff members had disguised themselves as VR patients, and that no refugees has even been thrown out of the clinic. The MD also considered that the allegations were absurd, irresponsible, and an affront to his professional dignity and reputation. CSD staff also felt they had been insulted by such allegations.