THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1986
HK TO PRESS FOR FURTHER VR RESETTLEMENT
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THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS FOR BRITAIN AND OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE MORE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, THE DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A TOUR OF NORTH DISTRICT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, HE SAID THERE WAS AT THE PRESENT MOMENT A SLOW OFF-TAKE OF REFUGEES BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
+ WE ARE ENCOURAGING OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES AND I THINK WE HAVE TO TAKE A LONG TERM VIEW OF THIS QUESTION.+
SIR DAVID NOTED THAT, HONG KONG MUST UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS THAT OTHER COUNTRIES HAD.
+WE HOPE TO GAIN MORE INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF OUR OWN PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG AND THE PROBLEMS OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN NOW IN HONG KONG FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND HAVE BEEN LIVING IN CLOSED CAMPS FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
+ONE HAS EVERY SYMPATHY FOR THEM AND WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRESS OUR CASE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY,+
COMMENTING ON SUGGESTIONS THAT REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN IN CLOSED CAMPS FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME SHOULD BE MOVED TO . OPEN CAMPS, SIR DAVID SAID ONE COULD SYMPATHISE WITH THAT POINT
OF VIEW.
HE SAID IT WAS SOMETHING THAT, FROM TIME TO TIME, MUST BE LOOKED INTO. +BUT WE MUST ALWAYS HAVE IN THE BACK OF OUR MINDS THE EFFECT THAT SUCH A RELAXATION MIGHT HAVE.
+AND IF IT'S FELT THAT IT WOULD ENCOURAGE MORE REFUGEES TO COME TO HONG KONG THEN WE MUST MAINTAIN OUR PRESENT POSITION.+
ASKED WHETHER MORE REFUGEES WOULD BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN HONG KONG, HE SAID: +AS I SAID JUST NOW, THAT IS ONLY SOMETHING WHICH WE CAN CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS EXHAUSTED BECAUSE WE MUST THINK OF THE POSSIBLE EFFECT THAT THIS WOULD HAVE ON ENCOURAGING MORE PEOPLE TO COME HERE TO SEEK ASYLUM.+
ON THE DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON THE NATIONALITY ISSUE, SIR DAVID SAID IT REFLECTED THE VIEWS WHICH HONG KONG WAS ALREADY AWARE OF IN THE REPLY BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO THE REPRESENTATIONS WHICH HAD BEEN MADE BY UMELCO ON BEHALF OF HONG KONG.
/+50, is