CONFIDENTIAL
$
065632
MDLIAN 3566
24315
EGISTRY
1 JUL 1988
HKD
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
REC
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2766
OF 19064OZ JULY 88
NI
TOP
COPY
Q DIST ?
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : DISTURBANCES AT HEI LING CHAU.
THERE WAS A DISTURBANCE AT THE HEI LING CHAU DETENTION CENTRE FOR VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE LAST NIGHT (MONDAY). THE TROUBLE STARTED AT ABOUT 1940 HOURS WHEN ABOUT 270 YOUNG SINGLE MEN WAITING IN LOCKED UP DORMITORIES FOR THEIR EVENING MEAL ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WANTED 'FREEDOM'. THEY STARTED A FIRE BY BURNING BED BOARDS AND DAMAGED FURNITURE. SOME COMPLAINED OF INSUFFICIENT FOOD WHEN THEIR MEAL WAS EVENTUALLY SERVED. ADDITIONAL CSD STAFF WERE SENT TO THE CENTRE AND THE SITUATION WAS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL BY ABOUT 2300 HOURS. THERE WERE NO CASUALTIES AND NO SERIOUS DAMAGE.
2. AT 0725 HOURS TODAY THERE WAS FURTHER TROUBLE IN TWO OF THE DORMITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE YOUNG MEN. BED BOARDS WERE THROWN AROUND AND AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO BURN DOWN THE LOCKED DOOR TO ONE DORMITORY. A CSD TACTICAL RESPONSE SQUAD WAS SENT TO THE SCENE AND ARRESTED ABOUT 110 OF THE MORE TROUBLESOME YOUNG MEN, WHO HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ISLAND. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE DEFUSED THE SITUATION BUT AS A PRECAUTION SOME 56 MEN OF THE CSD TACTICAL RESPONSE SQUADS WILL REMAIN ON STANDBY AT THE CENTRE, WHERE THERE ARE ALREADY 200 CSD REGULAR STAFF ON DUTY.
·
3. IT IS THOUGHT THAT OVERCROWDING HAS BEEN A FACTOR IN SPARKING OFF THE UNREST AS 650 BOAT PEOPLE PREVIOUSLY HOUSED ON FERRIES WERE YESTERDAY TEMPORARILY DECANTED FOR SAFETY INTO THE HEI LING CHAU CENTRE FOR THE DURATION OF TYPHOON WARREN, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO PASS VERY CLOSE TO HONG KONG LATER TONIGHT (TUESDAY). THIS HAS STRETCHED THE POPULATION OF THE CENTRE TO OVER 3400, WELL A BOVE ITS CAPACITY OF 2880.
/
4. THE DISTURBANCES FOLLOWED TWO SIMILAR INCIDENTS LAST WEEK AT THE CENTRE WHEN SINGLE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN SEPARATELY REFUSED TO EAT, COMPLAINING OF OVERCROWDING 'INHUMANE' TREATEMENT AND DISLIKE OF HONG KONG'S NEW POLICY SOME BRIEF SCUFFLES ENSUED INVOLVING YOUNG MEN AND CSD STAFF AND ALSO AMONGST THE YOUNG WOMEN THEMSELVES, AND SOME BUILDING MATERIALS AND WORKMEN'S TOOLS WERE STOLEN. ORDER WAS RESTORED WITHOUT THE NEED FOR OUTSIDE INTERVENTION.
•
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL