4
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1987
ARRIVALS AND
A
HAD, FOR THE FIRST
THIS YEAR, OWING TO A 54 PER CENT INCREASE IN 44 PER CENT DECLINE IN RESETTLEMENT, THE NUMBER TIME,
INCREASED SHARPLY.
:
OF
ON DECEMBER 1 1987 THERE WERE 9,331 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN NUMBER HONG KONG, AND BY THE END OF THE, YEAR IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE
WHICH WOULD REPRESENT AN WOULD PASS THE 10,000 MARK,
INCREASE NEARLY 25 PER CENT OVER THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES REMAINING IN HONG AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
KONG
EFFORTS MRS FAN SAID SHE APPRECIATED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S
TO THE TO FIND A LASTING INTERNATIONAL SOLUTION
VIETNAMESE REFUGEE
THAT ACCEPTED PROBLEM, AND SHE SAID SHE UNDERSTOOD AND
NEGOTIATIONS
WOULD TAKE TIME.
"WHAT WE CANNOT ACCEPT, HOWEVER, IS THE CLAIM BY HMG REFUGEES OVER THE CURRENT TWO-YEAR PERIOD (I.E. 234 REFUGEES REPRESENTS THE LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES THAT THE UK IS OF ABSORBING FROM HONG KONG, OR THE CLAIM THAT ENCOURAGE OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO INCREASE TO TAKING REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG," SHE SAID.
THAT 468 A YEAR) CAPABLE
THIS INITIATIVE WILL
THEIR COMMITMENTS
LORDS AND MPS BY THE
SHE SAID SHE HAD RECEIVED SOME 60 LETTERS FROM IN BRITAIN EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT FOR THE RECENT REQUEST MADE
OF WHICH SHE IS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AD HOC GROUP, BRITAIN SHOULD INCREASE ITS COMMITMENT TO TAKING KONG.
CONVENER, REFUGEES FROM
THAT
HONG
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AMONG THESE LETTERS, ONE WAS FROM COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL, LORD ENNALS.
COUNCIL DESCRIBED MRS FAN NOTED THAT THE BRITISH REFUGEE ARRIVAL OF THE 468 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG AT THE RATE OF ONLY 20 MONTH AS INEXPLICABLE, SINCE THE PREVIOUS INTAKE OF 40 PER EASILY ABSORBED BY THE REFUGEE AGENCIES.
ASIA
THE
PER
MONTH WAS
REPORTS THAT
BE TO
DERISORY
RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES INDICATES THAT
"THE
COUNCIL
PLACES IN A YEAR
4
INITIAL
REACTION
SET
FROM OTHER THEY FIND THE OFFER OF 234
THEIR AGAINST
OWN EXISTING YEAR, ORIGINALLY MORE POSITIVE
AMITMENTS; AND THAT A FIGURE OF 1,000 PLACES IN A
WOULD HAVE STIMULATED A FAR PROPOSED BY THE UNHCR, RESPONSE," SHE NOTED,
COMMITMENT SHOULD
COVERED BY EXISTING UNACCOMPANIED
BE
THE UK'S THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDED THAT
CASES NOT INCREASED TO INCLUDE FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA, VULNERABLE GROUPS SUCH AS THE HANDICAPPED AND MINORS, AND HARD-TO-RETTLE CASES.
VERY SIMILAR ΤΟ ON VIETNAMESE
MRS FAN NOTED THT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE THE
THAT RECOMMENDATIONS
THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP REFUGEES HAD PUT FORWARD DURING THE PAST YEAR.
"WE HAVE