THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1979
MR. DAVIES SAID THERE WAS NO DOUBT TOO THAT THE ACTION IN HOLDING THE HUEY FONG AT OUR BOUNDARY SERIOUSLY BOTHERED THOSE ON THE SKYLUCK.
CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS HAD BEEN INSTITUTED AGAINST A NUMBER OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE ARRIVAL OF THE HUEY FONG, AND ALSO IN A CASE WHERE PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM WERE ALLEGEDLY TRANSHIPPED FROM A LARGE SHIP TO A SMALLER ONE FOR THE ACTUAL LANDING IN HONG KONG.
THE ARRIVAL OF SMALL BOATS IN HONG KONG POSED A DIFFERENT PROBLEM, MR. DAVIES SAID. THESE DID NOT ATTEMPT TO
EVADE IMMIGRATION CONTROL AND THERE WAS NO WAY IN WHICH ENTRY COULD EFFECTIVELY BE REFUSED.
DESPITE THE UNDOUBTED NEED TO LOOK AFTER OUR OWN PEOPLE, AND DESPITE THE ACTIONS OF OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS, HE SAID, +1 DÓ NOT BELIEVE IT WOULD BE RIGHT OR TO HONG KONG'S CREDIT TO SEND TO SEA A HEAVILY OVERLOADED SHIP - WHICH WOULD NOT NORMALLY BE PERMITTED TO SAIL WITH MORE THAN 12 PASSENGERS THUS COMMITTING PEOPLE TO THE DEEP ON THE BASIS THAT THEY CAN TAKE THE IR CHANCE SOMEWHERE ELSE AND IN BREACH OF OUR CONVENTION OBLIGATIONS.+
ON IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA, MR. DAVIES ESTIMATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN INCREASE IN POPULATION OVERALL FROM LEGAL AND ILLEGALS WHO ARE PERMITTED TO STAY OF 160,000 IN THE 15 MONTHS FROM
• JANUARY 1978.
+ IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT WE ATTACH SO MUCH URGENCY TO RESTRICTING IMMIGRATION AND TO DO SO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
+THESE STARK FIGURES EMPHASISE, TOO, OUR CONCERN THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD ASSIST IN THE RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AT A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER RATE THAN THE CURRENT LEVEL OF OFFERS, MR. DAVIES SAID.
MTR NOT IGNORED IN BUDGETTING
*****
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SAID AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY) HE HAD NOT IGNORED THE DEMANDS OF THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION WHEN EVALUATING THE VALIDITY OF THE GOVERNMENT'S ANNUAL BUDGETARY POLICIES.
HE SAID THIS WHILE REFERRING TO AN ARGUMENT BY THE HON. LYDIA DUNN AND THE HON, T.S. LO THAT HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURE IN THE COURSE OF THE ECONOMY IN RECENT YEARS WAS AT LEAST PARTLY INVALIDATED BY THE EXCLUSION OF EXPENDITURE ON THE MTR PROJECT FROM HIS DEFINITION OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
MR. HADDON-CAVE POINTED OUT HE HAD SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO THE MTR PROJECT RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS BUDGET SPEECH, AND ASKED HONOURABLE MEMBERS TO STUDY THE STATISTICS IN ANNEX (2) TO THE PRINTED VERSION OF THE SPEECH.
/+THESE SHOW