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DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
25. This burden has now become intolerable for Hong
Kong. That is why we have been making concerted efforts
to alleviate the burden as quickly as possible. We will
not shirk our responsibility for Hong Kong: we are
redoubling our efforts to find a solution.
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26. In recent months we have committed over £17m to
help: £6m towards the capital costs of a new refugee
centre at Pillar Point; £2m in support of UNHCR's
operations in Hong Kong; and £4m for emergency
accommodation, including tents and huts. We have also
announced our readiness to contribute £5m towards the
cost of a Regional Processing Centre to which all
refugees from Hong Kong and the region could be
transferred quickly while they await resettlement.
And
on the resettlement front, we have undertaken to accept
2000 more refugees from Hong Kong over the next three
years : that's the fastest rate of intake since the
crisis of the early eighties.
27.
When I attended the International Conference of Indo
Chinese Refugees in Geneva last month, I urged the
Conference to accept the reality that all those boat
people who do not qualify as refugees must find their
future in Vietnam. We were able to secure general
recognition of this fact. I am glad to say that
important progress is now being made in our bilateral
talks with the Vietnamese on repatriation. We have a
long way to go before we achieve a complete solution,
but I believe that we have finally turned the corner.