TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1979
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HONG KONG CONTINUES TO PRESS FOR RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES
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THERE WILL BE NO COMPLACENCY AND NO LET UP IN HONG KONG'S EFFORTS IN DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR. MORRIS MORGAN, SAID TODAY TUESDAY).
IN A SPEECH AT THE LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES, MR. MORGAN SAID WE MUST CONTINUE TO BE VIGILANT IN OUR EFFORTS TO PREVENT THE ENTRY OF BOTH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES AND KEEP ON PRESSING FOR FAST RESETTLEMENT.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THIS YEAR 67 000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA EVADED ARREST AND SETTLED IN HÒNG KONG. AT THE SAME TIME ABOUT 67 000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ENTERED HONG KONG, MR, MORGAN POINTED OUT.
MR. MORGAN STRESSED THAT HONG KONG MUST CONTINUE TO DRAW INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION TO ITS REFUGEE PROBLEM IN ORDER TO KEEP PRESSURE ON VIETNAM TO ARREST THE OUTFLOW OF ITS CITIZENS, AND IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT AN ADEQUATE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME FOR THOSE HERE WAS ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED TO RELIEVE HONG KONG OF ITS PRESENT BURDEN.
+THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM OF OUR MAKING AND WE ONLY ASK FOR A FAIR SHARE OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE TOWARDS SOLVING IT ESPECIALLY WE ASK THAT OUR HANDLING OF THE SITUATION, WHICH BY ANY STANDARD MUST BE ACCEPTED AS HUMANE AND PROPER, BE ACKNOWLEDGED AS SUCH,+ MR. MORGAN POINTED OUT.
REFERRING TO THE GENEVA CONFERENCE ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HELD IN JULY THIS YEAR, MR. MORGAN SAID IT HAD RAISED EXPECTATIONS AMONG THE REFUGEES HERE THAT THEY WOULD ALL FIND NEW HOMES OVERSEAS WITHIN TWO YEARS, IF NOT IN ONE.
+HONG KONG TOO HAS BEGUN TO HOPE THAT IT WILL BE FULLY RELIEVED
BUT THE OUTCOME IS STILL FAR OF ITS BURDEN IN SOME SUCH PERIOD. FROM CERTAIN.
+THE TREND IS FOR ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES TO BE MORE OR LESS BALANCE OVER THE FIVE WEEKS SINCE THE CONFERENCE AT AN AVERAGE OF ROUGHLY 100 PER DAY AND PRODUCING NO NET REDUCTION IN THE TOTAL OF 67 000 REFUGEES IN HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.
HOWEVER, MR. MORGAN ADDED, THE MOMENTUM OF RESETTLEMENT WAS BEGINNING TO PICK UP AND AS LONG AS VIETNAM CONTINUED WITH ITS PRESENT POLICY OF RESTRICTING OUTFLOW PERHAPS WE COULD BE REASONABLY OPTIMISTIC.
MR. MORGAN NOTED THAT THE EFFECTS OF THE REFUGEES ON HONG KONG
+ INDEED, NO MAJOR HAD NOT BEEN ENTIRELY NEGATIVE AND DISRUPTIVE. PROGRAMME OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPEDED,+ HE SAID.
/MR. MORGAN