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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1988
APPEAL TO CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO DISPEL RUMOURS
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THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR GEOFFREY BARNES, TODAY (MONDAY)
AND THE MEDIA APPEALED TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES
ΤΟ HELP DISPEL UNFOUNDED RUMOURS WHICH HAD LED TO MORE EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING IN HONG KONG FROM CHINA.
"I WOULD LIKE TO APPEAL TO THEM TO MAKE KNOWN THE HONG KONG
WIDELY GOVERNMENT'S POLICY AS
AS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY
THOSE IN AREAS OF GUANGXI IN CHINA WHERE THESE UNFOUNDED RUMOURS ARE CIRCULATING," HE SAID.
A
HAD MR BARNES REITERATED THAT THERE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TOWARDS THE TREATMENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING IN HONG KONG,
IT
BEEN NO CHANGE TO THE OF EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE
THE PROCESSES OF THE LIBERALISATION PROGRAMME, WHICH ARE CLASSIFIED AS BEING PURSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT, APPLY ONLY TO PERSONS REFUGEES BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, HE SAID.
"I
"THIS CLASSIFICATION DOES NOT EXTEND TO FORMER VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN SETTLED IN CHINA.
PROGRAMME;
NOR
"SUCH PEOPLE WILL NOT BE GIVEN REFUGEE STATUS IN HONG KONG AND
THE WILL NOT BENEFIT IN ANY WAY FROM
LIBERALISATION WILL THEY HAVE ACCESS TO RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
"THEY WILL
BE
TREATED AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND
WILL
BE
RETURNED TO CHINA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE."
YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) ANOTHER 94 EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVED IN HONG KONG, BRINGING TO 255 THE TOTAL SUCH ARRIVALS SO FAR THIS MONTH.
NUMBER OF
IN NOVEMBER THERE WERE 61 SUCH ARRIVALS, COMPARED OCTOBER AND THREE IN SEPTEMBER.
WITH 19
IN
TUEN MUN HOSPITAL NEARING compleTION
THE LARGEST LOCAL HOSPITAL TO BE BUILT IN THE LAST 10 YEARS NEARING COMPLETION IN TUEN MUN.
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THE
TUEN
MUN
HOSPITAL,
OCCUPYING
—
EIGHT-HECTARE SITE EXCLUSIVE OF STAFF QUARTERS AND PROVIDE A TOTAL OF 1,656 BED SPACES.
AN
APPROXIMATELY
LAUNDRY
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WILL
/SITUATED SOUTHEAST