THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1979
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+BUT SO FAR THIS YEAR HONG KONG HAS RECEIVED ONLY 17 PER CENT OF ALL RESETTLEMENT PLACES IN THE REGION FOR BOAT REFUGEES COMPARED WITH 61 PER CENT FOR MALAYSIA AND 10 PER CENT FOR INDONESIA,+ MR. DAVIES POINTED OUT.
HE SAID THAT AS A RESULT, AT THE END OF OCTOBER HONG KONG HAD 38 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL REGIONAL BURDEN OF BOAT REFUGEES COMPARED WITH 26 PER CENT IN MALAYSIA AND 25 PER CENT IN INDONESIA.
+AT PRESENT WORLD CONCERN IS UNDERSTANDABLY FOCUSSED ON THE TRAGEDY OF THE PEOPLE OF CAMBODIA. STARVATION AND SUFFERING ON AN APPALLING SCALE IS OCCURRING, HE SAID.
+THEIR SITUATION, WHETHER IN CAMBODIA OR IN THE CAMPS IN THAILAND, IS GHASTLY AND A PROBLEM OF COMPELLING MAGNITUDE CALL ING FOR MASSIVE RELIEF SUPPLIES OF FOOD AND MEDICINE.
+HOWEVER THIS ADDED DIMENSION TO THE SUFFERING OF THE PEOPLE OF INDOCHINA DOES NOT LESSEN HONG KONG'S NEED TO MAKE GREATER AND MUCH FASTER PROGRESS WITH RESETTLEMENT OF ITS BOAT PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM.+
HE SAID THAT THE HON. P.C. WONG HAD ALREADY REMINDED RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES THAT +ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS.+
+I THEREFORE REINFORCE HIS CALL FOR AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RESETTLEMENT PLACES BEING OFFERED TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG, MR. DAVIES SAID.
HE SAID THAT THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS HAS AVERAGED 3 300 PER MONTH WHICH WAS LESS THAN THE TARGET FIGURE WE HAD HOPED TO ACHIEVE.
HE SAID +WE STILL HOPE TO REACH 4 000 A MONTH AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS BUT EVEN AT THIS RATE, AND WITHOUT ANY NEW ARRIVALS, IT WOULD TAKE UNTIL SPRING 1981 TO RESETTLE ALL THE BOAT REFUGEES.
*WITH THE EFFECT OF THE SHADOW CAST ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST CHINA SEA BY THE POSSIBILITY OF RENEWAL OF OUTFLOW FROM VIETNAM, THIS IS PRETTY COLD COMFORT.
+ IT IS ALSO MEAGRE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF WHAT HONG KONG HAS DONE FOR BOAT REFUGEES.+
ON IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA, MR. DAVIES SAID THE RESPONSE OF THE SECURITY FORCES AND THOSE DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE.
+TO THIS LIST I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THE VOLUNTARY SERVICES AGENCIES AND, IF I MAY, MY OWN BRANCH. THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS HAVE BEEN COUNTERED WITH RESOURCEFULNESS, DEDICATION AND INGENUITY. OVER A LONG PERIOD, NOW ENTERING ITS SECOND YEAR, ALL HAVE DONE THE IR UTMOST TO CONTAIN THE PROBLEMS, KNOW THEY WILL GO ON DOING SO, HE SAID.
MR. DAVIES SAID THE STRATEGY TO KEEP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TO THE MINIMUM WAS TO MAKE THE LAND BORDER AND THE FLANKS OF HONG KONG SO SECURE THAT A HIGH RATE OF APPREHENSION WAS ACHIEVED.
/+NOT ONLY