XN000022-1987-01-07 — Page 13

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1987

MR CHAN SAID THAT WHILE THE NEED TO EXPAND EDUCATION, PURCHASE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, CONSTRUCT OLD PEOPLE'S HOMES AND PROVIDE CARE FOR THE HANDICAPPED HAD NOT BEEN MET DUE TO BUDGETARY DEFICITS, THE GOVERNMENT WAS OBLIGED TO SPEND OVER $100 MILLION A YEAR IN LOOKING AFTER A MULTITUDE OF VIETNAMESE WHO MADE NO CONTRIBUTION TO HONG KONG AND HAD NO SENSE OF BELONGING.

+THIS IS GROSSLY UNFAIR TO THE NEEDY PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,

HE ADDED.

+

UK BACKING OUT FROM ITS COMMITMENT AGAIN

*****

THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE REGARDED AS A LAME DUCK GOVERNMENT IF IT CANNOT PERSUADE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE ITS ATTITUDE ON THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HERE, THE HON LEE YU-TAI SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING DURING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, MR LEE SAID SINCE HE JOINED THE COUNCIL 15 MONTHS AGO, BRITAIN HAD LET DOWN THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON AT LEAST TWO MAJOR ISSUES.

HE SAID THE ORDER IN COUNCIL WENT THROUGH PARLIAMENT LAST APRIL, WHICH DEPRIVED THE MINORITY PEOPLE OF HONG KONG OF THEIR ONLY HOPE FOR AN EFFECTIVE NATIONALITY.

+THIS IRRESPONSIBLE DECISION OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS TAKEN IN SPITE OF A UNANIMOUS DEMAND BY THIS COUNCIL AND STRONG REPRE- SENTATIONS BY THE INDIANS, HE SAID.

MR LEE NOTED THAT BRITAIN WAS AGAIN TRYING TO BACK OUT FROM A COMMITMENT. AS NO ANSWER HAD YET BEEN GIVEN TO THE REQUEST BY HONG KONG FOR THE CONTINUATION OF RESETTLEMENT FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

+HAVING BEEN LET DOWN ON TWO IMPORTANT ISSUES, HOW CAN THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WHICH REPRESENTED THEM IN THE NEGOTIATION OF THE FUTURE OF THE TERRITORY?+ HE ASKED.

THEREFORE MR LEE PROPOSED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD PERSUADE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE TO TAKE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG, AT AN ANNUAL QUOTA OF NOT LESS THAN 500.

/HE ALSO