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148 VMs return home voluntarily
A group of 148 Vietnamese migrants (VMs) today (Tuesday) returned to Vietnam under the Voluntary Repatriation Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Comprising 57 men, 37 women, 29 boys and 25 girls, they were the 232nd batch to go back under the programme.
The group brought to 953 the total number of VMs who had returned voluntarily this year, and to 45,147 the total number of returnees since the programme started in March 1989.
Commenting on the voluntary repatriation of the 148 VMs this morning, a government spokesman said intensive counselling by UNHCR staff had been successful in persuading these VMs to go home.
"The recent statement issued by the US Consulate confirming the US Administration's support for the Comprehensive Plan of Action was also a contributory factor," he said.
"It is disappointing that there are still about 500 VMs in the departure centres who had volunteered to return home but are now refusing to go.
"This situation is attributable to the false hopes engendered by the proposals currently under consideration in the US Congress," the spokesman added.
End/Tuesday, June 20, 1995
Water storage figure
Storage in Hong Kong's reservoirs at 9 am today (Tuesday) stood at 67.2 per cent of capacity or 393.958 million cubic metres.
This time last year the reservoirs contained 402.249 million cubic metres of water, representing 68.6 per cent of capacity.
End/Tuesday, June 20, 1995
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