CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 23090OZ FCO
TELNO 3580
OF 22105OZ SEPTEMBER 88
INFO DESKBY 23010OZ PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
HKO 243/S
нко
RECEN
23 SEP 1988
PA
159
123666 MDHIAN 4889
AKE
< DIST }
MY FOURTH IPT: MY ADDRESS TO LEGCO: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
BEGINS
120. FOR 13 YEARS HONG KONG HAS HAD TO COPE WITH THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. WE HAVE A RECORD TO BE PROUD OF. SINCE 1975,
133,000 BOAT PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED IN HONG KONG. IN 1979 ALONE ALMOST 69,000 CAME HERE. NONE OF THEM HAS BEEN TURNED AWAY.
·
121 AT THE UNHCR ORGANISED CONFERENCE ON REFUGEES IN GENEVA IN 1979,
THERE WAS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT ALL BOAT PEOPLE LEAVING VIETNAM WOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS REFUGEES. THE PLACES WHERE THEY ARRIVED WOULD GIVE THEM TEMPORARY SHELTER. COUNTRIES OF RESETTLEMENT WOULD PROVIDE A LONG TERM HOME FOR THEM. WE IN HONG KONG WERE PREPARED TO PLAY OUR PART BY PROVIDING TEMPORARY SHELTER SO LONG AS OTHER COUNTRIES WERE PREPARED TO OFFER PERMANENT RE-SETTLEMENT.
122. IN RECENT YEARS, HOWEVER, IT HAS BECOME APPARENT THAT THIS COMPLEMENTARY ARRANGEMENT HAS BROKEN DOWN. IN 1987 THE NUMBER OF BOAT PEOPLE RESETTLED FROM HONG KONG FELL BY 42 PER CENT. IN THE SAME PERIOD THE NUMBERS ARRIVING HERE INCREASED BY 65 PER CENT. IN ADDITION, THE TYPE OF PEOPLE WHO WERE ARRIVING CHANGED. THEY ARE NOW ALMOST ALL ETHNIC VIETNAMESE, MOST OF THEM FROM WHAT WAS FORMERLY NORTH VIETNAM. MANY OF THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES HAVE QUESTIONED WHETHER THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT ECONOMIC MIGRANTS RATHER THAN REFUGEES AS NORMALLY DEFINED: THEY HAVE BEEN UNWILLING TO PROVIDE RESETTLEMENT PLACES FOR THEM. MOST VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO STAY IN HONG KONG. THEY ARE SEEKING A NEW LIFE OVERSEAS, IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA OR AUSTRALIA. THE TRAGEDY IS THAT DOORS ARE NO LONGER OPEN FOR THEM. THEY ARE PEOPLE ON A JOURNEY TO NOWHERE.
123. IT WAS AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND THAT THE GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED A CHANGE IN POLICY ON 16 JUNE. SINCE THEN ALL BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVING FROM VIETNAME HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY SCREENED. THOSE
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