CONFIDENTIAL
LONG TERM ACCOMMODATION
ANNEX B
1. Unless the mandatory repatriation programme is well underway by then, there is almost certain to be a further large influx of boat
people when the new sailing season starts next Spring. The Hong
Kong Government want to prepare for this by building a new long term
camp with the capacity to accommodate at least 20,000 boat people.
2. After examining various possible sites (Tai A Chau Island, Hei
Ling Chau Island, Telegraph Bay and South Lantau) the Hong Kong
Government have concluded that the only viable option is Tai A Chau.
(Tai A Chau was used as a temporary camp over the summer and at one
stage accommodated more than 5,000 boat people until the camp had to
be evacuated because of a cholera outbreak.) It would be more
expensive to build a camp on Tai A Chau than on a more accessible
site such as Telegraph Bay on or South Lantau because of the costs of bringing in water and disposing of sewage. But the Hong Kong Government are concerned that there would be strong opposition from the local community to the construction of a new camp in a populated
area.
3. The Hong Kong Government estimate that the cost of developing
Tai A Chau would be £26 million and have asked HMG to pay for half
of this. The Governor believes that provided we make a start with mandatory repatriation, le Legislative Council's Finance Committee would be prepared to vace funds on this basis. We agree that the Hong Kong Government's proposal to split the costs of the Tai A Chau
development is a reasonable one, given the Governor's political
difficulties with the Finance Committee.
4.
A detailed breakdown of the costs and the phasing of expenditure of the proposed Tai A Chau detention centre and a comparison with other possible sites is attached.
EELADN(3)
CONFIDENTIAL