TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1989
UK COMMITTED TO HELPING RESETTLE REFUGEES
THE UNITED KINGDOM IS COMMITTED TO DOING ALL IT CAN TO HELP BRING ABOUT A BETTER OPPORTUNITY OF RESETTLEMENT FOR THE MANY VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG, THE MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG, LORD GLENARTHUR, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER VISITING THREE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE CENTRES IN TUEN MUN, LORD GLENARTHUR SAID THAT WHILE THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM WAS A DEPRESSING ONE, EFFORTS WOULD CONTINUE то BF MADE TO ENSURE THAT THE RESETTLEMENT OF ALL THOSE WHO SHOULD BE RESETTLED DID IN FACT TAKE PLACE.
"WE ARE, AS YOU KNOW, EMBARKED UPON A NEW INITIATIVE OURSELVES TO TAKE 1,000 MORE PLACES ON RESETTLEMENT," HE SAID.
"HAND IN HAND WITH THAT GOES AN STIMULATED ON OUR BEHALF BY OURSELVES, TO TRY AND ARRANGE FOR RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN OTHER COUNTRIES."
INTERNATIONAL
EFFORT FURTHER
THE
UNITED
LORD GLENARTHUR SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT ΤΟ NOTE KINGDOM WAS PLAYING ITS PART IN TRYING TO ENSURE THAT THE WIDER INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PROVIDED MORE RESETTLEMENT PLACES.
OF
A VERY POWERFUL, DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN HAD STARTED AS A RESULT THIS INITIATIVE TO FURTHER DEVELOP ALL THE OTHER CAMPAIGNS WHICH HAD TAKEN PLACE UP UNTIL NOW, HE SAID.
LORD GLENARTHUR SAID THE REFUGEE PROBLEM WAS NOT PECULIAR ΤΟ BRITAIN, HONG KONG OR ANYWHERE ELSE, BUT THAT IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL
ISSUE.
"A LOT OF OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE PLAYED THEIR PART. WE HAVE PLAYED OUR PART. WE HAVE TAKEN SOME 13,000 OR SO PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS.
"WE HAVE NOW SAID WE WOULD TAKE THESE 1,000 EXTRA BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE'VE GOT TO ENSURE THAT OTHER COUNTRIES INCREASE THEIR OFFTAKE, HE SAID.
"IT'S ALL PART OF A PACKAGE, IF YOUR LIKE," HE ADDED.
.
'I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT AT ALL THAT THE OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WILL TAKE CAREFUL HEED OF WHAT WE'VE SAID, WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO AND THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO TRY AND HELP THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE, THAT IS TO SAY, THOSE WHO SHOULD BE RESETTLED.
"AND INDEED, THAT THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE BURDEN WHICH THE REFUGEE PROBLEM, THE RESETTLEMENT PROBLEM, THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM A WHOLE, POSES FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, LORD GLENARTHUR SAID.
AS
12