148
IMMIGRATION AND TOURISM
The five refugee camps originally established by the government remained in operation during the year. These are administered under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and managed by the Red Cross, Caritas-Hong Kong, the International Rescue Committee, the Hong Kong Christian Service and the Young Men's Christian Association. Special efforts were made by these and other voluntary agencies to organise educational and recreational activities for the refugees and to prepare them for their eventual resettlement.
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has continued to play a key role in arranging for the resettlement of the refugees and in providing funds for their maintenance in Hong Kong.
About 39 per cent of arrivals were refugees who left Vietnam in 1978 and 1979 and settled in China but who subsequently came illegally to Hong Kong. There was good co-operation with the Chinese authorities in arranging their return to the places where they had been settled. During the year, 6,428 of these immigrants were repatriated to China and at the end of the year 2,388 others were awaiting repatriation.
Although 1980 saw a reduction in the number of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, much more remains to be done before a solution to the boat refugee problem is found. The morale of the refugees in Hong Kong is generally good, but it is vital that the rate of resettlement be maintained so that they do not lose heart.
Cases of travellers attempting to use forged or falsified travel documents continued to increase during the year, both at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and at Hong Kong International Airport. These included attempts to enter Hong Kong illegally as well as attempts by Hong Kong residents to travel to other countries on forged papers. Officers of the Investigation Division of the Immigration Department carried out a number of investigations leading to the arrest of members of the syndicates organising these rackets. Every effort is being made to detect and prevent the use of bogus documents and visas, and close co-operation is maintained with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and the immigration authorities of other countries.
Personal Documentation
Following the enactment of legislation requiring all adult residents of Hong Kong to carry acceptable proof of identity at all times, and banning the employment of those without identity cards, there was a substantial increase in the demand for replacement of lost or damaged identity cards. Some 73,699 requests for replacement identity cards were received during the last two months of 1980, compared with 206,235 for the entire year. Steps were taken to expedite the issue of replacement cards.
The demand for travel documents remained very high during the year, and over a million separate documents were issued. Re-entry permits for travel to China and Macau were the most sought-after documents but there was also a substantial increase in the demand for passports for travel overseas. As new immigration branch offices had been opened and some existing offices expanded, the Immigration Department was able to cope with this demand without the long queues of applicants which had been seen in 1979.
As a result of the increased immigration from China, the temporary Registration of Persons Office at Victoria Barracks near Central District was crowded (up to the end of October) with new arrivals from China seeking to stay in Hong Kong. This situation dramatically illustrated the immigration pressures to which Hong Kong is now being subjected and highlighted the need to maintain and strengthen immigration controls.