FRIDAY, MAY 4, 1979
FS CALLS ON ADB TO MOBILISE RESOURCES TO EASE AND SPREAD
BURDEN RESULTING FROM INDOCHINA EXODUS
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THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE TODAY (FRIDAY) URGED THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK TO SERIOUSLY AND URGENTLY CONSIDER HOW ITS RESOURCES COULD BE MOBILISED TO EASE AND SPREAD THE BURDEN RESULTING FROM THE EXODUS OF PEOPLE FROM INDOCHINA.
MR. HADDON-CAVE ALSO CALLED ON THE BANK TO USE ITS GOOD OFFICES TO ENCOURAGE REGIONAL CO-OPERATION AND TO BRING PRESSURE ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY - SINCE THIS ALSO WAS AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM TO RESPOND WITH ADEQUATE OFFERS OF RESETTLEMENT COUPLED WITH A SPEEDING UP OF RESETTLEMENT PROCESS.
+THIS IS TO GUARD AGAINST THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THAT THE PROSPECTS AND, INDEED, THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRIES RECEIVING THIS LARGE INFLOW ARE NOT SERIOUSLY HARMED,+ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID.
HE STRESSED THAT TO SEARCH FOR PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE REGIONAL PROBLEM OF REFUGEES WHICH HAS ASSUMED FRIGHTENING PROPORTIONS+ SHOULD BE A PRIORITY CONCERN OF THE BANK.
SPEAKING AT THE 12TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS IN MANILA, MR. HADDON-CAVE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG, IN RELATION TO ITS SIZE. WAS TAKING MORE THAN ITS SHARE OF THE BURDEN OF PROVIDING FACILITIES FOR THE TEMPORARY ASYLUM OF INDOCHINA REFUGEES.
+AND, FURTHERMORE, GIVEN PRESENT POPULATION DENSITIES, AND OTHER IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS, HONG KONG SIMPLY CANNOT CONTEMPLATE ACCEPTING THESE PEOPLE FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT NOR CAN THEY BE PERMITTED TO DISTURB THE LABOUR MARKET TO THE DETRIMENT OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID.
HE SPELT OUT THE DIMENSIONS OF THE EXODUS SEEN FROM HONG KONG'S STANDPOINT AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE OF CONTINUING TO OBSERVE ACCEPTED INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS.
SINCE 1975 AND UP TO THE END OF MARCH THIS YEAR, OVER 230,000 PEOPLE LEFT INDOCHINA,
OF THESE, 83,000 LEFT BY SEA AND OVER 25 PER CENT OF THESE CAME TO HONG KONG. THERE ARE NOW 23,963 REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM IN HONG KONG AWAITING RESETTLEMENT.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY EMPHASISED THAT IN THE 27 MONTHS ENDING MARCH THIS YEAR, HONG KONG'S GROSS INTAKE OF LEGAL AND
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA AND ELSEWHERE WAS OVER 200,000. THIS WAS MORE THAN ONE-AND-A-HALF TIMES THE NATURAL INCREASE IN THAT PERIOD.
/+FOR THE TIME