OXFAM
樂施會
THE WAY FORWARD
The introduction of the closed centres in 1982 and the consequent detention of refugees in remote places signalled an end to public concern about the refugee issue. Out of sight meant out of mind, and in any case the numbers were going down. But over the past twelve months the refugees have come back into the headlines because the numbers are going up again.
The Legislative Council debated the issue in January and sent a clear message to the British government that Hong Kong expected action on the question of resettlement.
The subsequent British announcement of 468 refugees to be resettled over two years was disappointing, but without the councillors' resolution it might have been much worse.
The refugees obviously should be a matter of lively concern to our community we need to be quite clear why we are spending $150 million a year to keep more than 6,000 innocent people in prison. But there is a need to keep the problem in perspective and to concentrate on finding solutions that are both feasible and humane.
Much recent discussion has focussed on repatriation, raising an expectation in the community that here is a ready answer and that refugees will soon be heading back to Vietnam. Such hopes are false. Repatriation will take years rather than months to arrange. We agree that the repatriation initiative must continue, but we worry that while this is happening the plight of the 9,411 refugees already here may
be overlooked.
The only ways in which the present refugees can leave Hong Kong are by resettlement or voluntary repatriation to Vietnam (which is extremely unlikely). So we must continue to press for more places and to ensure that Hong Kong does everything possible to promote the refugees' resettlement and to care for them in a humane manner.
The closed centre policy has been in force since July 1982 and is overdue for a critical re-examination. Is it still necessary? What are its effects?
The government has always justified the policy by saying that it deters people from coming to Hong Kong, but it is hard to see how that argument can be sustained in the light of this year's increase in arrivals. The government's own
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