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VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
Most of the Boat People are not genuine refugees but economic migrants. As such, they are no different from the illegal immigrants which all countries send back as a matter of course. About 90% of those arriving in Hong Kong are ordinary farmers and fishermen from North Vietnam, searching for a better economic future. They have all been put through a thorough and fair - screening process, approved by the UNHCR, and conforming to internationally recognised criteria. These procedures include appeal to an independent body.
No repatriation will be carried out until the appeal process has been exhausted. There is no question of returning genuine refugees, i.e. all those who have a well-founded fear of persecution.
Every country that accepts refugees has to screen genuine refugees from illegal immigrants. And it is universal practice for illegal immigrants to be deported.
The situation in the Boat People camps is critical. There is serious overcrowding, and the situation is potentially explosive. There have already been several riots. During the summer of 1989 when people were arriving at a rate of several hundreds a day and had to be accommodated on a remote island, there was an outbreak of cholera. The Hong Kong Government, with UK support, is building more accommodation as fast as possible, but this cannot be allowed to continue and it would be inhumane to do so.
More Boat People are still arriving. There are now over 56,1
56,000 Vietnamese Boat People in Hong Kong some 33,000 of whom have arrived this year. The flow of arrivals has eased temporarily, but it is bound to increase sharply again when the prime sailing season begins in the spring of next year. It is essential that repatriation of non-refugees should be well under way by then.
The burden on Hong Kong has become intolerable. Any unwillingness on the part of the British Government and the Hong Kong authorities to tackle the problem will seriously undermine confidence in the effectiveness of British administration at a critical time in the territory's history.
Voluntary repatriation has not worked. The Hong Kong Government has made every effort to persuade non-refugees to return voluntarily. So far, however, only 507 volunteers have returned, with about 1,000 waiting to do so. More to the point, only 37 of the 3,000+ people who have so far been through all stages of the screening process and are definitely not refugees, are among the volunteers. The people who should be volunteering are not doing
so.