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SIR DAVID: WELL, MISS LANCASTER, CAN I GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THAT. THE FIRST THING IS THAT FOR THOSE WHO WOULD GET BRITISH PASSPORTS UNDER THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE NOW GOING THROUGH PARLIAMENT, THAT IS FOR 50,000 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD AND UP TO 225,000 PEOPLE, THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THAT IS TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO SO GIVE CONFIDENCE TO PEOPLE SO THAT THEY ACTUALLY STAY IN HONG KONG. WE ARE NOT REALLY TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING WHICH WILL INCREASE IMMIGRATION TO BRITAIN AT LEAST WE HOPE IT WON'T. BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT IF PEOPLE HAVE THAT ASSURANCE THEY WILL WANT TO, AND THEY WILL THEN BE ABLE TO, STAY IN HONG KONG. THIS IS, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW IT, A TREMENDOUSLY EXCITING PLACE TO LIVE, AND MOST PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN HERE, BROUGHT UP HERE, WANT TO STAY HERE IF THEY POSSIBLY CAN NOW, GIVEN THE ASSURANCE OF HAVING A FOREIGN PASSPORT, I BELIEVE THAT MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE, THOSE 50,000 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD AND THEIR FAMILIES TOO, WILL STAY ON IN HONG KONG. SO THAT IS ONE BIT OF IT. I DON'T THINK YOU IN THE UNITED KINGDOM ARE FACING A GREAT INFLUX OF PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG. NOW, LET ME LEAVE ASIDE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THAT WOULD BE TO THE BENEFIT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OR NOT. THEN TAKE THE VIETNAMESE THAT IS SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT INDEED AND THERE IS A BIT OF BACKGROUND TO THAT WHICH PERHAPS I COULD GIVE YOU. WE EXIST ON THE COAST OF CHINA UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE OF POPULATION MOVEMENT FROM CHINA ITSELF PEOPLE WHO HAVE CLOSE RELATIVES HERE, FAMILY HERE. EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR WE ARE SENDING BACK TO CHINA MAYBE 8) PEOPLE, RECENTLY 100 PEOPLE, SOMETIMES 150 PEOPLE A DAY, GOING BACK TO CHINA BECAUSE THEY COME HERE AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. AT THE SAME TIME WE'VE BEEN FACING, FOR OVER 15 YEARS NOW, A HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING FROM VIETNAM. LAST YEAR WE HAD 34,000. WE HAVE LOOKED AFTER, OVER 15 YEARS, 180,000 PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM; WE'VE NEVER TURNED ANYBODY AWAY. BUT I THINK YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THAT WITH THE POPULATION KNOWING AND SUPPORTING THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSE TO THEM HAVE TO BE SENT BACK TO CHINA IF THEY COME HERE ILLEGALLY, IT IS PRETTY GALLING WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE COMING HERE FROM VIETNAM, WHICH HAS NO CONNECTION WITH HONG KONG DIFFERENT CULTURE, DIFFERENT PEOPLE COMING TO HONG KONG AND BEING LOOKED AFTER AND NOT EVEN WANTING TO STAY IN HONG KONG, BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL, VIRTUALLY ALL - 99% WANTING TO GO TO PLACES LIKE THE UNITED STATES OR CANADA, NOT WANTING AND TO COME TO HONG KONG.
AND THAT IS WHY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, INDEED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT BELIEVES THAT IT IS RIGHT THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT POLITICAL REFUGEES AND I WANT TO STRESS THAT POINT
OWN PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT POLITICAL REFUGEES, SHOULD GO BACK TO THEIR HOMES IN VIETNAM, JUST LIKE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD ARE SENT BACK TO THEIR OWN COUNTRIES AND TO THEIR OWN HOMES.
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OLIVER SCOTT: SIR DAVID, CAN I JUST SLIP IN A QUESTION NOW WE ARE BEGINNING TO RUN OUT OF TIME SO I WILL MAKE THIS FAIRLY BRIEF BUT WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY GOT ONE SIDE OF THAT ARGUMENT FROM SHEILA LANCASTER THERE NO IMMIGRANTS AT ALL IN BRITAIN.
THE OTHER SIDE IS THERE IS A MORAL DUTY ON EQUALLY CLEAR WE OUGHT TO TAKE EVERYBODY; THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO DO SO. IT FOLLOWS FROM THOSE TWO POINTS OF VIEW THAT THIS COMPROMISE IN THE MIDDLE, 50,000 HEADS OF FAMILY AND THEIR DEPENDANTS, IS A PARTICULARLY UNFORTUNATE AND LUDICROUS COMPROMISE.
SIR DAVID:
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WELL, THAT'S ONE WAY OF PUTTING IT, BUT I THINK YOUR CALLER, SHEILA LANCASTER, PUT, IN A WAY, VERY CLEARLY THE POLITICAL PROBLEM FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. PEOPLE HERE IN HONG KONG WOULD,
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