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COMMENTARIES
3. 12 LOCAL PAPERS COMMENTED ON THE NEW SCREENING SYSTEM IMMEDIATELY
ON THURSDAY MORNING AND OTHERS HAVE DONE SO SINCE. THEY GENERALLY
WELCOMED THE NEW SYSTEM WHILE URGING THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE
TO FIGHT FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE AND A LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO
THE PROBLEM. SEVERAL PAPERS WERE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHETHER THE SYSTEM
WOULD BE EFFECTIVE POINTING OUT THAT IT COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM
AT SOURCE. THE MATTER COULD NEVER BE SOLVED IF THE VIETNAM GOVERNMENT
REFUSED TO TAKE BACK ITS PEOPLE.
·
4. WAH KIU YAT PAO SAID HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORT
THE SCREENING SYSTEM. TA KUNG PAO SAID IF THE VIETNAMESE CONTINUED TO FLOOD INTO THE TERRITORY, HONG KONG SHOULD CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER MEASURES. WEN WEI PO COMMENTED THAT SCREENING WOULD BE
DIFFICULT AS STATUS HAS TO BE ASSESSED ON THE BASIS OF INFORMATION
PROVIDED BY THE BOAT PEOPLE THEMSELVES. THE PAPER ADDED AS THE
FINANCIAL BURDEN ON HONG KONG MIGHT NOT BE REDUCED FOLLOWING
INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW POLICY IT WAS ONLY REASONABLE FOR THE
TERRITORY TO ASK THE UNITED NATIONS AND SOME MAJOR COUNTRIES TO
SHOULDER PART OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE UP-KEEP OF THE BOAT
PEOPLE HERE. TIN TIN DAILY NEWS WORRIED THAT SOME RESETTLEMENT
COUNTRIES MIGHT TAKE THE EXCUSE TO RE-SCREEN THOSE WHO HAD PASSED
HKG'S TEST. THE PAPER LOOKED TO THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO ACCEPT
ALL BOAT PEOPLE SCREENED BY THE HKG AND FOR THOSE SCREENED OUT TO
BE HANDLED BY THE UNITED NATIONS. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES WAS
CRITICAL OF THE SCREENING SYSTEM DESCRIBING IT AS 'SELF-DECEIVING
AND 'FOOLISH' SOLUTIONS WERE TO SEND ALL VIETNAMES REFUGEES TO THE FALKLAND ISLANDS OR AN ISLAND WHICH DOES NOT BELONG TO ANY COUNTRY WHERE THE UNITED NATIONS COULD SET UP A TEMPORARY SHELTER, AND TO
REJECT ALL THOSE WHO CAME TO HONG KONG. MING PAO THOUGHT THE NEW
SYSTEM WOULD NOT CHANGE THE SITUATION IN ANY SUBSTANTIAL WAY AT LEAST
IN THE SHORT TERM. WHILE SAYING THAT THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM LAY WITH
THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT, THE PAPER MAINTAINED THAT BRITIAN SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO SHIRK ITS RESPONSIBILITY, IT SHOULD ACCEPT MORE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG IF A SOLUTION COULD NOT BE
REACHED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
VOLUNTARY AGENCIES
5. AS MIGHT BE EXPECTED, MOST OF THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES WERE NEGATIVE OR AT BEST CAUTIOUS A SPOKESMAN FOR OXFAM DESCRIBED THE NEW POLICY AS "HALF
BEEN
-
.
BAKED' POINTING OUT THAT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAD
CLASSIFIED AS IIS WOULD BE DETAINED INDEFINITELY. SHE WONDERED
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