THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1983
21
VIETNAMESE MUST BE DISCOURAGED FROM COMING, COUNCIL TOLD
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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WERE FACING SUCH POOR PROSPECTS OF RESETTLEMENT THAT DISCOURAGING THEM FROM COMING TO HONG KONG WAS THE ONLY HUMANITARIAN AND RESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE FOR HONG KONG TO ADOPT, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
MR JEAFFRESON DISAGREED WITH REV THE HON PATRICK MCGOVERN'S SUGGESTION THAT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES NOW IN CLOSED CENTRES BE ALLOWED TO TILL THE FIELD.
CITING THE EDITORIAL LINE OF A LOCAL ENGLISH DAILY,
MR JEAFFRESON SAID THAT WORK AND JOB SECURITY PROVIDED FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WOULD MAKE HONG KONG SEEM A MORE DESIRABLE GOAL FOR VIETNAM'S MALCONTENTS WHO WOULD HEAD THEIR BOATS NORTH IN INCREASING NUMBERS.
+THIS IS SOMETHING WE SIMPLY CANNOT ALLOW TO HAPPEN. WE STILL HAVE A MOST ACUTE AND WORRYING PROBLEM AND A DISTINCT SHORTAGE OF SOLUTIONS, HE STRESSED.
ON MARCH 31, HONG KONG HAD 12 162 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN OPEN AND CLOSED CENTRES, ONLY 469 LESS THAN ON JANUARY 1 THIS YEAR BUT 2 185 MORE THAN ON MARCH 31, 1982.
+THE BRUTAL FACT IS THAT THE RESETTLEMENT PROSPECT FOR NEW ARRIVALS ARE NOW EXTREMELY BAD.
+AND OVER-CROWDED HONG KONG, HAVING ALREADY ABSORBED AS MANY AS 14 000 FROM VIETNAM INTO ITS OWN COMMUNITY (PER HEAD OF OUR POPULATION AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION IN WORLD TERMS) CANNOT ITSELF BE EXPECTED TO RESETTLE ANY MORE,+ HE EXPLAINED.
MR JEAFFRESON ALSO REFERRED TO THE HON PETER WONG'S CONCERN THAT AT A TIME WHEN SERIOUS CRIME WAS ON THE INCREASE, THE ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE ALLOWED FOR ONLY FOUR PER CENT GROWTH IN THE POLICE FORCE, COMPARED WITH THE FIVE PER CENT OVERALL GROWTH LIMIT FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE AS A WHOLE.
WHILE SYMPATHETIC WITH MR WONG'S VIEW, MR JEAFFRESON SAID HE WOULD NOT WISH TO PRESS FOR MORE ON BEHALF OF THE FORCE.
+THE FACT IS THAT THE POLICE'S FOUR PER CENT MEANS 1 000 NEW POSTS OUT OF A TOTAL OF 6 700 NEW POSTS FOR THE WHOLE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE,
+UNLESS THE TREND IN THE INCREASE IN CRIME CHANGES DRAMATICALLY FOR THE WORSE, I THINK THIS WILL HAVE TO DO,+ HE SAID.
ON DR THE HON HO KAM-FAI'S CONCERN THAT THE POLICE'S PLANNED GROWTH FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES WOULD NOT BE UP TO THAT FOR HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON, MR JEAFFRESON CONCEDED THAT THE POLICE STRENGTH IN THE NEW TERRITORIES PER 1 000 OF POPULATION HAD FALLEN MARGINALLY IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.
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