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TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1988
FOREIGN SECRETARY GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE
FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, SIR GEOFFREY HOWE:
SIR GEOFFREY: GOOD AFTERNOON, MY VISIT TO HONG KONG HAS BEEN VERY WORTHWHILE. I HAVE SEEN AS MUCH AS I CAN: THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CONTAINER PORT, THE POLYTECHNIC WHERE FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE BEING TRAINED, CHI MA WAN REFUGEE CAMP, THE GREEN ISLAND RECEPTION CENTRE FOR REFUGEES.
COMMUNITY EXCO AND, HONG KONG
I HAVE TALKED TO AS MANY HONG KONG PEOPLE AS I CAN: LEADERS, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, MEMBERS OF LEGCO, MEMBERS OF LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE GOVERNOR AND OFFICIALS OF THE GOVERNMENT, AND I HAVE HEARD A VERY WIDE RANGE OF VIEWS AND OPINIONS.
I HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY STRUCK, ALTHOUGH NOT SURPRISED, BY THE STRONG FEELINGS AROUSED BY THE ARRIVAL OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE AND THE PROBLEMS WHICH THEY CAUSE. I PAY TRIBUTE TO THE GENEROUS AND HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE of the HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE TO THEIR PLIGHT.
AS I SAID YESTERDAY, THE BURDEN ON HONG KONG IS BECOMING INTOLERABLE. THINGS CAN'T GO ON AS THEY ARE. BUT I HAVE TO SAY PLAINLY THAT THE AUTOMATIC RESETTLEMENT OF ALL THOSE FOR WHATEVER REASON ISN'T A PRACTICAL PROPOSITION. WOULD A CIVILISED COMMUNITY LIKE HONG KONG WISH THE MERCY OF THE SEA.
LEAVING VIETNAM NOR, I BELIEVE,
TO LEAVE PEOPLE ΤΟ
THE FACT IS THAT THE VAST BULK OF BOAT PEOPLE NOW ARRIVING CANNOT BE DESCRIBED AS POLITICAL REFUGEES, AS DEFINED BY THE UNHCR, OTHER COUNTRIES CAN'T BE EXPECTED TO CARRY THE BURDEN OF VIETNAM'S ABYSMAL ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT, LEAST OF ALL A SMALL AND OVER-CROWDED TERRITORY LIKE HONG KONG.
IT MUST BE RIGHT IN PRINCIPLE FOR THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE VIETNAMESE TO FIND THEIR FUTURE IN VIETNAM. UNFORTUNATELY, DESPITE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE, VIETNAM REFUSES TO HAVE THEM BACK BUT THAT MUST BE THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION. BRITAIN WILL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THAT.
SO THE OPTIONS ARE LIMITED; THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA; AND RARD DECISIONS WILL HAVE TO BE TAKEN. I HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS HERE ON THE WAY AHEAD AND I WILL TAKE AN EARLY OPPORTUNITY TO REPORT TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
ALL I CAN SAY AT THIS STAGE IS THAT I FULLY ACCEPT THAT HONG KONG CAN'T GO ON OFFERING ITSELF TO AN ENDLESS STREAM OF PEOPLE AS A TRANSIT POINT TO A FUTURE THAT DOES NOT AND CANNOT EXIST. OF COURSE, THE WHOLE POSITION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA WOULD BE IMMENSELY VIETNAM QUIT CAMBODIA.
IMPROVED IF
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