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Transfer of Vietnamese from High Island Detention Centre today
The Government announced today (Friday) that about 100 Vietnamese migrants would be transferred from High Island Detention Centre this afternoon in preparation for their return home under the Orderly Repatriation Programme (ORP).
They will be transferred to Victoria Prison for pre-flight documentation and medical checks before leaving Hong Kong on January 18 (Wednesday).
A Government spokesman said the transfer exercise had been brought forward 24 hours.
"In the light of the fire in the High Island Detention Centre early this morning, we considered it only prudent to move the Vietnamese migrants to Victoria Prison as soon as possible.
"On December 15 last year, they were told that unless they volunteered by December 22, they could be returned on the next ORP flight.
"Yesterday, they were asked to present themselves for transfer from High Island."
The transfer will be monitored by representatives of non-government organisations (Oxfam and for the first time Medecins Sans Frontieres), and non-official Justices of the Peace. The monitors' role is to observe and report on the transfer and their reports will be made public.
The spokesman said the monitors were fully briefed on January 10. "We are very grateful to their agreeing to act as monitors," he said.
Attention News Editors:
There will be a fixed press position at High Island this (Friday) afternoon from where the operation and departure from the camp can be observed. Photographers are advised to bring telephoto lens for the best coverage.