XN000022-1987-12-02 — Page 6

4

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1987

ARRIVALS AND

A

HAD, FOR THE FIRST

THIS YEAR, OWING TO A 54 PER CENT INCREASE IN 44 PER CENT DECLINE IN RESETTLEMENT, THE NUMBER TIME,

INCREASED SHARPLY.

:

OF

ON DECEMBER 1 1987 THERE WERE 9,331 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN NUMBER HONG KONG, AND BY THE END OF THE, YEAR IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE

WHICH WOULD REPRESENT AN WOULD PASS THE 10,000 MARK,

INCREASE NEARLY 25 PER CENT OVER THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES REMAINING IN HONG AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.

KONG

EFFORTS MRS FAN SAID SHE APPRECIATED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S

TO THE TO FIND A LASTING INTERNATIONAL SOLUTION

VIETNAMESE REFUGEE

THAT ACCEPTED PROBLEM, AND SHE SAID SHE UNDERSTOOD AND

NEGOTIATIONS

WOULD TAKE TIME.

"WHAT WE CANNOT ACCEPT, HOWEVER, IS THE CLAIM BY HMG REFUGEES OVER THE CURRENT TWO-YEAR PERIOD (I.E. 234 REFUGEES REPRESENTS THE LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES THAT THE UK IS OF ABSORBING FROM HONG KONG, OR THE CLAIM THAT ENCOURAGE OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO INCREASE TO TAKING REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG," SHE SAID.

THAT 468 A YEAR) CAPABLE

THIS INITIATIVE WILL

THEIR COMMITMENTS

LORDS AND MPS BY THE

SHE SAID SHE HAD RECEIVED SOME 60 LETTERS FROM IN BRITAIN EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT FOR THE RECENT REQUEST MADE

OF WHICH SHE IS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AD HOC GROUP, BRITAIN SHOULD INCREASE ITS COMMITMENT TO TAKING KONG.

CONVENER, REFUGEES FROM

THAT

HONG

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AMONG THESE LETTERS, ONE WAS FROM COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL, LORD ENNALS.

COUNCIL DESCRIBED MRS FAN NOTED THAT THE BRITISH REFUGEE ARRIVAL OF THE 468 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG AT THE RATE OF ONLY 20 MONTH AS INEXPLICABLE, SINCE THE PREVIOUS INTAKE OF 40 PER EASILY ABSORBED BY THE REFUGEE AGENCIES.

ASIA

THE

PER

MONTH WAS

REPORTS THAT

BE TO

DERISORY

RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES INDICATES THAT

"THE

COUNCIL

PLACES IN A YEAR

4

INITIAL

REACTION

SET

FROM OTHER THEY FIND THE OFFER OF 234

THEIR AGAINST

OWN EXISTING YEAR, ORIGINALLY MORE POSITIVE

AMITMENTS; AND THAT A FIGURE OF 1,000 PLACES IN A

WOULD HAVE STIMULATED A FAR PROPOSED BY THE UNHCR, RESPONSE," SHE NOTED,

COMMITMENT SHOULD

COVERED BY EXISTING UNACCOMPANIED

BE

THE UK'S THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDED THAT

CASES NOT INCREASED TO INCLUDE FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA, VULNERABLE GROUPS SUCH AS THE HANDICAPPED AND MINORS, AND HARD-TO-RETTLE CASES.

VERY SIMILAR ΤΟ ON VIETNAMESE

MRS FAN NOTED THT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE THE

THAT RECOMMENDATIONS

THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP REFUGEES HAD PUT FORWARD DURING THE PAST YEAR.

"WE HAVE