HKD 243/4
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FM HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 1862
OF 17044OZ MAY 88
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
4+7
021662
MDLIAN 7860
TOP COPY TO Q DIST ?
YOUR TELNO 875: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES REPORT BY MS CLARE HANBURY
AS SUGGESTED MS HANBURY CONTACTED FRENCH ON HER RETURN TO HONG KONG AND HE SAW HER ON 26 APRIL. ALSO PRESENT WAS ASSISTANT
COMMISSIONER (INSPECTORATE OF REFUGEE UNIT), CORRECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT (MR I.K. BHAGAT).
2. MS HANBURY SAID SHE HAD DISTRIBUTED SOME 24 COPIES OF HER REPORT IN THE UK (TO FCO, MPS AND MEDIA). SHE HAD ALSO SUPPLIED COPIES TO THE SCMPOST AND THE HK STANDARD. IT WAS NOTED THAT IT HAD RECEIVED VERY LITTLE COVERAGE. SHE REITERATED HER AIM AS EXPRESSED TO FOOTMAN I.E. TO IDENTIFY AREAS IN WHICH SHORT-TERM CHANGES COULD BE MADE TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF REFUGEES IN THE CLOSED CENTRES.
3. MS HANBURY WAS ASKED IF SHE HAD SOUGHT TO VERIFY HER INFORMATION BEFORE PUBLISHING STATEMENTS AS FACTS IN THE REPORT. SHE SAID THAT HER INFORMATION HAD BEEN OBTAINED FROM WHAT REFUGEES AND VOLUNTARY WORKERS HAD SAID TO HER DURING HER TWO YEARS WORK AS A TEACHER'S TRAINER FOR THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE (ISS) IN CHIMAWAN CLOSED CENTRE. WHILE SHE FELT ASTONISHED AT SOME OF THE THINGS SAID TO HER BY THE REFUGEES, SHE HAD NOT CHECKED THEM WITH THE CAMP MANAGEMENT.
4. FRENCH SAID THE THE REPORT CONTAINED SOME USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTIONS, PARTICULARLY AS REGARDS RESETTLEMENT PROCESSING, BUT WAS MARRED BY STATEMENTS BASED ON UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS AND SOME GROSS FACTUAL INACCURACIES. WE QUOTED VARIOUS SUCH EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT AND EXPLAINED THE FACTUAL POSITION IN SOME DETAIL. A SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC POINTS IN THE REPORT WHICH ARE MISLEADING, INACCURACTE OR BOTH FOLLOWS BY BAG.
5. BHAGAT SAID THAT THE COMMISSIONER FOR CORRECTIONAL SERVICES TOOK SOME OF THE UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS VERY SERIOUSLY AND WAS CONTEMPLATING LEGAL ACTION. HE SAID THAT IN PARTICULAR ALLEGATIONS THAT CSD STAFF IMPERSONATED REFUGEES IN A CLINIC AND ABUSED THE REFUGEES WERE TOTALLY UNFOUNDED AND A SLUR ON THE
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