1989-01-11 23:48 G.I.S
33 P.05
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1989
LORD BECAUSE SO EFFECT THAT
INTERNATIONAL.
THINK
GLENARTHUR : I SAID IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD AND THE SOUTHEAST ASIA'S DIFFICULTIES HAVE HAD UPON IT MUST BE IT IS ALL VERY WELL LOOKING BACK TO 1979 BUT I DON'T THAT ANY OF US COULD POSSIBLY HAVE FORETOLD THAT THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE LEADING TO SUCH AN OUTFLOW OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, BOAT PEOPLE, FROM THAT PART OF THE WORLD WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED AS IT HAS. WE INTRODUCED THE CHANGE OF POLICY IN JUNE LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF THE VERY REAL PROBLEMS THAT THE BOAT PEOPLE ARE CAUSING HONG KONG, AND OF COURSE ONE CANNOT BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN IN ADVANCE OF CONSEQUENCES THAT MIGHT FLOW FROM AN INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION THAT DEVELOPS AS TIME GOES BY. THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN PROMOTING THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN PAST TO TAKE RESETTLEMENT CASES. WE HAVE PLAYED A PART OURSELVES. HAVE GIVEN YOU JUST NOW DETAILS OF WHAT WE HOPE TO DO IN THE FUTURE. WE DO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY, YES, BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS A STRAIGHT BRITISH PROBLEM. IT IS ESSENTIALLY ONE WHICH DOES INVOLVE THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY THOSE INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES WHO HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN RESETTLEMENT CASES.
CHAN CHEUK-HAY: MAY I ASK IN CHINESE AGAIN?
LORD GLENARTHUR: YES, HOLD ON.
CHAN
IN THE I
CHEUK-HAY (QUESTION ASKED IN CANTONESE): BUT THE SCREENING POLICY WILL ALSO EXONERATE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE SIGNED THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM ACCEPTING VIETNAMESE BRITISH GOVERNMENT CONVINCE HONG KONG PEOPLE THAT
ARIA TO DRONI VD TUR UTDUTMAMBOD DEENA 12 12
WOULD AD
1979 AGREEMENT ON REFUGEES. HOW CAN EFFORTS BY BRITAIN
DOODLEM
COMPLETELV
BEFORE 19977 THAT IS, ALL VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WOULD BE REMOVED FROM HONG KONG WITHOUT INCURRING A LARGE SUM OF MONEY AND NO GRADUAL INTEGRATION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES INTO THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY. COULD YOU MAKE A GUARANTEE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE THAT BRITAIN WILL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO REMOVE ALL VIETNAMESE REFUGEES BEFORE 1997?
LORD GLENARTHUR : WE HAVE TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO TRY AND ACHIEVE THE RESETTLEMENT OF THESE PEOPLE. IN ANY CASE, 1997 IS A POINT IN THE FUTURE AND IS REALLY IRRELEVANT TO THIS PARTICULAR DISCUSSION. THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN THAT HAS BEEN MOUNTED IS IMPORTANT. IT HAS ALREADY BORNE FRUIT IN THE PAST, I SEE NO REASON WHY THE NEW ONE WHICH WE HAVE STARTED SHOULD NOT DO SIMILARLY, AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE WORKING TO ACHIEVE. BUT THE OTHER ASPECT OF IT IS THAT THOSE WHO COME TO HONG KONG AND ARE SCREENED OUT AS NOT BEING THE
NOT
REFUGEES
DEFINITION.
CORRECT
BEING
UNDER
THE
THE
INTERNATIONALLY UNDERSTOOD DEFINITION, THEIR FUTURE LIES IN VIETNAM ULTIMATELY.
THERE
THAT IS WHAT I HAVE MADE PLAIN IN THE STATEMENT. IS NO FUTURE FOR THEM HERE, OTHER THAN IN THE MEANTIME THE POSSIBILITY, THE FACT THAT THEY WILL BE LOCKED UP UNTIL THEY CAN GO
HOME.
/CHAN BO SHUN