WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1988
37
"NONE HAS BEEN TURNED AWAY AND NONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY NOW.
"WE DO NOT SUBSCRIBE TO PUSHING OFF BOATS WHEN THEY ATTEMPT TO ENTER OUR WATERS. BUT WE ARE AND WILL REMAIN A SMALL OVERCROWDED TERRITORY AND WE ARE FACED WITH A MOUNTING TIDE OF FRUSTRATION AND RESENTMENT AT THE INCREASING NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE COMING TO HONG KONG AND THE COST AND EFFORT WHICH IT SEEMS HONG KONG IS EXPECTED CONTINUE TO SHOULDER AS AN OPEN ENDED COMMITMENT".
MR BARNES NOTED THAT THE OVERWHELMING ARRIVALS FROM VIETNAM WERE ETHNIC VIETNAMESE.
ΤΟ
MAJORITY
OF RECENT
"SEVENTY PER CENT COME FROM NORTH VIETNAM AND THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF THE BOAT PEOPLE ARE NOT GENUINE REFUGEES BUT MERELY ORDINARY PEOPLE, MOSTLY FARMERS AND FISHERMEN, SEEKING A BETTER LIFE.
"MOST HAVE NO CONNECTIONS OR FAMILY LINKS OUTSIDE THEIR CHANCES OF RESETTLEMENT OVERSEAS ARE REMOTE INDEED.
VETNAM AND
"OVER 3,000 REFUGEES HAVE NOW BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS. THE OFFTAKE BY RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES SIMPLY CANNOT KEEP PACE WITH ARRIVALS, AND RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES ARE APPARENTLY NO LONGER PREPARED TO CONTINUE RESETTLING VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
INDISCRIMATELY AS REFUGEES.
"THERE CAN BE NO QUESTION OF HONG KONG CONTINUING TO BE USED, APPARENTLY INDEFINITELY, AS A TRANSIT CENTRE FOR THIRD COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY WHEN RESETTLEMENT IN NO WAY MATCHES THE NUMBERS ARRIVING," HE SAID.
MR BARNES SAID THE MESSAGE THAT HONG KONG MUST GET BACK TO THOSE CONTEMPLATING LEAVING VIETNAM IN THE HOPE OF RESETTLEMENT VIA HONG KONG WAS "DO NOT COME HERE. AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS YOU WILL ONLY FACE YEARS OF DETENTION PENDING REPATRIATION TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY."
HE SAID IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT VIETNAM ALSO PLAYED ITS PART IN PREVENTING ITS PEOPLE FROM LEAVING ON SUCH HOPELESS AND HAZARDOUS JOURNEYS.
·
ORDERLY DEPARTURE FROM VIETNAM ITSELF DIRECT ΤΟ RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES MUST BE THE AIM.
AND ASSISTANCE
"AT THE SAME TIME WE ASK FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF MAJOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES IN TAKING THOSE REFUGEES NOW IN OUR CROWDED CAMPS.
"FOR THE FUTURE, EVERY EFFORT MUST BE MADE BY HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AND OTHER MAJOR COUNTRIES то REACH A SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT WITH VIETNAM FOR THE RETURN OF OUR VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL
HE ADDED.
IMMIGRANTS IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY MANNER,
"
/38