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POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION
The ease with which Hong Kong residents can now pass through the immigration control points has encouraged more local people to travel, thus contributing to significant increases in passenger traffic. The number of movements of residents in and out of Hong Kong in 1988 totalled 45.58 million, an increase of 14.4 per cent compared with 39.85 million in 1987.
Population
The population increased by 77 300 during the year to 5.74 million, a growth rate of 1.37 per cent. The increase consisted of a migration balance of 29 300, and of natural growth, that is births minus deaths, of 48 000.
Legal Immigration
During the year, the number of new arrivals from the mainland remained steady at about 28 000. Of these, 10 009 were wives, 13 400 were children and 952 were husbands of local residents.
Since the policy governing the entry of husbands from places other than China was relaxed in March 1987, the number of husbands admitted in this category has continued to increase. During the year, 1 181 husbands in this category were admitted, compared with 609 in 1987.
Illegal Immigration
Because of the comparatively higher wages in Hong Kong, there was a marked increase in the number of illegal immigrants arrested during the first half of the year. In April, the daily average of illegal immigrants arrested was 104, a record figure since the abolition of the 'reached base' policy in October 1980. In order to curb the influx, stringent measures were stepped up, resulting in many arrests at construction sites, factories, restaurants and other places of employment. Illegal immigrants so arrested were prosecuted and sentenced to imprisonment ranging from nine to 18 months. Employers of illegal immigrants were also prosecuted; they were normally fined on conviction but in serious cases, custodial sentences were imposed. As a result, the number of illegal immigrants dropped significantly in the latter half of the year.
During the year, an average of 57 illegal immigrations were arrested each day.
Vietnamese Boat People
During 1988, 18 325 Vietnamese boat people arrived in Hong Kong, compared with 3 395 who arrived in 1987.
In the face of the rocketing number of new arrivals, the government adopted a new screening policy on June 16, 1988. Under the new policy, all Vietnamese boat people who arrive in Hong Kong on or after June 16 are screened in accordance with the guidelines of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to determine whether they are genuine refugees in the terms of the 1951 UN Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the status of refugees. Any person screened out as a Vietnamese illegal immigrant has the right to object to refusal of refugee status under section 53 of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap 115). According to the guidelines, only those who have a 'well-founded fear of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality or membership of a particular social or political group' will be treated as refugees. Those who seek to enter Hong Kong as economic migrants are treated as illegal immigrants and are detained in detention centres pending repatriation to Vietnam.