Reply:
End
(c)
(d)
(e)
· 39 -
whether there are sufficient facilities in the children reception centres or residential institutions to accommodate the large number of such child IIs;
whether these child IIs are detained together with other juvenile offenders; if so, what the reasons are; and
whether, in repatriating these child IIs, counselling is given to them to enable them to understand that entering the territory illegally is an offence under the law?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Police officers and indeed, all law enforcement officers, are alert to the vulnerability of young illegal immigrants and the predicament they face during anti-illegal immigration operations. We have always been sensitive and careful in handling illegal immigrant children having regard to humane considerations.
There are detailed rules in police manuals governing the use of handcuffs which are also applicable to illegal immigrants. This is to ensure that handcuffs are to be used sparingly and only for very good reasons, such as to prevent injury to life or escape of detainees. Handcuffs have rarely been used on illegal immigrant children.
Our policy is to repatriate all illegal immigrants at the earliest opportunity. If it is necessary to detain an illegal immigrant child, he or she will be accommodated at one of the residential institutions, namely the Pui Chi Boys' Home, Ma Tau Wei Girls' Home and Chuk Yuen Child Reception Centre, operated by the Social Welfare Department. There are sufficient capacity and facilities at these homes to accommodate illegal immigrant children.
Illegal immigrant children are accommodated at selected Social Welfare Department institutions which do not accommodate juvenile offenders.
Over the years, the Administration has mounted extensive publicity to make clear that it is an offence for any person to enter Hong Kong illegally and all illegal immigrants will be repatriated forthwith. Illegal immigrant children and, their parents, if available, are informed by officers responsible for the operations of the reasons for their arrests. They are also told that the illegal immigrant children will be subject to repatriation at the earliest opportunity.
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