SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1993
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ARRIVAL RATE OF ILLEGAL VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS ON RISE
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A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (SATURDAY) THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECENT INCREASE IN THE RATE OF ILLEGAL VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING FROM CHINA.
HE SAID SOME 250 HAD ARRIVED SO FAR THIS MONTH.
THEY WERE BEING ACCOMMODATED ON GREEN ISLAND AND A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE WHITEHEAD DETENTION CENTRE.
THIS GROUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE ALL COME FROM BEI HAI IN GUANGXI PROVINCE.
THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY HAD LEFT BEI HAI BECAUSE THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAD DEMOLISHED THEIR HOMES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
HE CONFIRMED THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN URGED TO ACCEPT THE RETURN OF THIS GROUP IN ACCORDANCE WITH ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN DETENTION NOW STANDS AT 370.
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MEASURE IN PLACE TO HANDLE CONTAINER PORT AREA JAM
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DRIVERS OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, INCLUDING CONTAINER VEHICLES, ARE REMINDED THAT IN THE EVENT OF SERIOUS CONGESTION IN THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT AREA, VEHICLES APPROACHING THE CONTAINER TERMINALS WILL BE DIVERTED AWAY FROM THE AREA BY POLICE TO AVOID BLOCKING THE MAIN PUBLIC ROADS.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SAID IF THE CONTAINER AREA WAS EXPECTED TO BE CONGESTED, A CONTINGENCY PLAN WOULD BE ACTIVATED TO MANAGE TRAFFIC.
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WHEN THE LOCAL ROADS IN THE CONTAINER TERMINAL AREAS ARE CONGESTED AND THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE HOLDING AREAS ARE FULL, STAGE 3 OF THE CONTINGENCY PLAN WILL BE EXECUTED, HE ADDED.
UNDER THE PLAN, POLICE WILL MAN THE ROUNDABOUTS AND ACCESS POINTS TO THE CONTAINER PORT AREA.
IF TRAFFIC QUEUES EXTEND FROM THE LOCAL ROADS IN THE CONTAINER TERMINAL AREA AND THREATEN THE MAIN TRUNK ROADS, POLICE WILL TAKE DETERMINED ACTION TO DIVERT APPROACHING VEHICLES AWAY.
HE STRESSED THAT QUEUING ON THE MAIN ROADS WOULD NOT BE
PERMITTED.
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE MEASURE IS TO KEEP THE MAIN TRUNK ROADS USED BY THROUGH TRAFFIC FREE OF OBSTRUCTION, WHILE EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO CLEAR THE TRAFFIC QUEUE WITHIN THE CONTAINER PORT AREA, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
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