TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1985
NO AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
******
GOVERNOR
THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO RETURN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OVER THE BORDER AND THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO AMNESTY, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, STRESSED TODAY (TUESDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM A REPORTER AFTER VISITING THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, SIR EDWARD SAID THE INCREASE IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WAS ONE OF THE SUBJECTS WHICH THE GOVERNMENT ATTACHED A GREAT DEAL OF IMPORTANCE TO, AND THAT HE WAS SURE IT WOULD COME UP IN THE BORDER TALKS WHICH WERE DUE TO COMMENCE.
+WE WANT TO TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY WE CAN TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE
+OBVIOUSLY THERE IS. FROM BECOMING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, HE SAID. A FEELING SOMEHWERE THAT IT IS EASIER NOWADAYS THAN IT WAS BEFORE,+
+1 WOULD LIKE TO DISPEL THAT FEELING ABSOLUTELY AND MAKE CLEAP THAT THERE WILL BE NO AMNESTY, AND THAT WE SHALL BE TAKING THE SAME MEASURES AS WE HAVE BEEN ALWAYS TAKING TO RETURN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OVER THE BORDER.+
ASKED WHETHER THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD REQUEST HARSHER PENALTIES ON THE CHINESE SIDE TO DISCOURAGE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THE GOVERNOR SAID HE DID NOT THINK IT WAS NECESSARILY A QUESTION OF HARSHER PENALTIES.
+1 THINK IT IS RATHER A QUESTION OF BETTER CONTROL, HE ADDED
ASKED WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, SIR EDWARD SAID: +WE, OF COURSE, ARE PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION BŪT THERE ARE NOT VERY MANY OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION, AND IT DOES TAKE SOME TIME TO ARRANGE FOR THAT REPATRIATION EVEN WHEN THEY ASKED FOR IT.+
+SO CERTAINLY AT THE PRESENT TIME OUR MAIN INTEREST IS IN THE INITIATIVE WHICH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN TO TRY TO GET MORE RESETTLEMENT PLACES BECAUSE WE THINK THAT WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON THE REFUGEE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.
ON WHETHER VIETNAM WAS WILLING TO TAKE BACK SOME REFUGEES, SIR EDWARD SAID SOME OF THEM, A SMALL NUMBER OF THEM, HAD GONE BACK.
ASKED WHETHER THE RECENT DELEGATION TO PEKING TO DISCUSS THE BN(0) PASSPORTS HAD ARRIVED AT A PACKAGE TO BE ENDORSED BY THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, THE GOVERNOR SAID THEY DIDN'T EXPECT TO AGREE ON A PACKAGE.
/+AS THE ............