મ્
CONFIDENTIAL
wholly surprising in the circumstances.
San Yick Closed Centre
29.
This is an eleven-storey former factory building, recently acquired by the Hong Kong Government at a cost of around US$10 million and, since the beginning of August, run by CSD. It is not well adapted to its new purpose, particularly since there is little room inside the building for use as a recreational area and none at all outside. police control the perimeter of the building. It is no surprise to me that the US Consulate is particularly concerned about the conditions in this centre.
Tuen Mun Closed Centre
30.
The
This was the most well-established and settled of the camps which I visited. It also seemed, for those reasons, the happiest. I have little doubt that a prime reason for the success of this camp is the fact that there are workshops, run by Save The Children, where people can work (tailoring, electronics) and earn something to spend in the camp's mini supermarket. There are also sports facilities and plenty of recreational space for children to run around in.
Conclusions
31.
The conditions within the Hong Kong camps which I visited varied widely. If all were like the Tuen Mun Closed Centre, the situation would be very satisfactory. However, conditions at a camp like San Yick are simply not comparable and would not be tolerable for any sustained length of time.
32.
Although the reasons are clear, it is also unsatisfactory that the Vietnamese boat people in detention centres need to be controlled by the Correctional Services Department. This inevitably carries with it the flavour of a jail. The ethos of the camp at Hei Ling Chau was very different from that at Tuen Mun and my impression was that the inmates resent being treated as de facto prisoners. There were political slogans on the walls ("freedom or death" etc) and there have been disturbances, including a hunger strike and a fire, which are politically-motivated, at least in part. The main difference of course is that these people are post-15 June arrivals, and therefore likely to be sent back to Vietnam, whereas those in Tuen Mun are awaiting resettlement in third countries. Nevertheless, the actual physical treatment of the inmates is qualitively different and may be a contributory factor to the disturbances there.
CA2AIU
CONFIDENTIAL
we no want to qo back to Vietnam