10
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1990
EXTENSION OF VBP/II CONTROLS
OF
AN EXTENSION
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL BE ASKED TO APPROVE CURRENT MEASURES DEALING WITH VIETNAMESE ASYLUM SEEKERS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHICH ARE DUE TO EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31.
THE TWO SETS OF PROVISIONS WERE INTRODUCED IN 1979 то DEAL WITH THE SITUATION CREATED BY THE ARRIVAL OF LARGE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA AND MACAU.
THE FIRST SET, WHICH APPLIES TO VIETNAMESE ASYLUM SEEKERS, REMOVES THE TWO MONTHS LIMIT WITHIN WHICH PERSONS REFUSED PERMISSION TO LAND IN HONG KONG MUST NORMALLY BE REMOVED UNDER THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE.
AND
FOR
THE OTHER PROVIDES FOR A MAXIMUM FINE OF $5 MILLION IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE, IN ADDITION TO THE FORFEITURE OF VESSELS, OFFENDERS CONVICTED OF CONVEYING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS WELL AS VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE TO HONG KONG.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS ORIGINALLY HOPED THAT THE NEED FOR THESE PROVISIONS WOULD BE TEMPORARY, BUT CIRCUMSTANCES HAD MADE IT NECESSARY TO EXTEND THEM EACH YEAR UNTIL NOW.
"IN VIEW OF THE CONTINUED INFLUX OF UNAUTHORISED IMMIGRANTS FROM BOTH VIETNAM AND CHINA, WE NEED TO RETAIN THE CONTROLS FOR A FURTHER YEAR," HE ADDED,
THE SPOKESMAN SAID WHILE THE NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE HAD LESSENED FROM THE DRAMATICALLY LARGE NUMBERS OF 1988 AND 1989, THERE WERE STILL ALMOST 6,000 ARRIVALS IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF THIS YEAR IN ADDITION TO 2,500 BIRTHS, AS AGAINST 6,400 WHO WERE RESETTLED OVERSEAS AND OVER 4,000 WHO RETURNED TO VIETNAM.
SOME 23,700 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE ARRIVED FROM CHINA, NEARLY TWICE THE FIGURE FOR THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR AND THE HIGHEST SINCE 1981.
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