+++
17
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1987
"AND WE BADLY NEED THEIR HELP. OUR
VIETNAMESE REFUGEE
POPULATION IS NOW 9,366 COMPARED WITH 7,630 IN MAY THIS YEAR, HE SAID.
MR JEAFFRESON SAID THE GOVERNMENT THEREFORE MUST MAINTAIN THE CLOSED CENTRES AS A DETERRENT.
HE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT AS SOON AS THE GOVERNMENT COULD IMPLEMENT ITS POLICY ON REPATRIATING NEW ARRIVALS, IT WOULD BE PUTTING FORWARD PROPOSALS DESIGNED TOWARDS OPENING UP THE CLOSED CENTRES.
ON RESETTLEMENT OF VR'S, MR JEAFFRESON SAID THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES NOW HAD STRICT LIMITATIONS ON THE NUMBERS AND THE SORT OF REFUGEES THEY WERE PREPARED TO TAKE.
HE SAID: "ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE DECLINE IN SO FAR THIS YEAR IS THAT FAR FEWER ARRIVALS ARE QUALIFYING CRITERIA THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES APPLY TO DETERMINE WHO TAKE FOR RESETTLEMENT.
"THE MAJORITY OF THOSE NOW ARRIVING RELATIVES IN THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. LITTLE HOPE OF THEIR EVER BEING RESETTLED.
寸平
RESETTLEMENT UNDER THE THEY WILL
ARE NORTHERNERS
WITH NO
AS THINGS ARE, THERE 18
MR JEAFFRESON ADDED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A DECLINE OF 50 PER CENT IN RESETTLEMENT COMPARED WITH LAST YEAR.
HE SAID THAT THE BASIC REASON WHY THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WERE NOW HAVING SUCH DIFFICULTIES IN MEETING THEIR OBLIGATIONS AS FAR AS REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WERE CONCERNED WAS THE PROBLEMS THEY WERE ENCOUNTERING IN RESPECT OF REFUGEES FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
OF
"IF, FOR THIS REASON, THERE CAN'T BE RESETTLEMENT VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG, THEN THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO SEEK DURABLE SOLUTIONS ΤΟ THE PROBLEM OF DISORDERLY DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM.
MR JEAFFRESON SAID SINCE 1975 SOME 120,000 BOAT PEOPLE HAD ARRIVED IN HONG KONG AND MORE THAN 112,000 OF THEM HAD BEEN RESETTLED.
"THE UNITED STATES ALONE HAS RESETTLED MORE THAN 63,000 REFUGERS FROM HONG KONG, AND MORE THAN 25 OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE HELPED US."
ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA, MR JEAFFRESON STRESSSED "ALL II'S ARE, AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE, RETURNED TO CHINA".
HE SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO WARN POTENTIAL ILLEGAL TO TRY TO ENTER HONG KONG, ADDING THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S IMMIGRATION MEASURES WERE VERY EFFECTIVE.
IMMIGRANT
THAT
NOT
ANTI-ILLEGAL
/HE SAID