XN000022-1988-03-09 — Page 17

15

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1988

MORNING,

NOW

NOTING THAT THESE DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD LAST SATURDAY MR BRIDGE SAID THEY APPEARED TO GO WELL AND HE BELIEVED THERE WAS

IN HONG KONG A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT THE RESTRICTIONS ON EMPLOYMENT WOULD BE LIFTED,

MR

BRIDGE

SAID

THAT

THE

TEMPORARY

RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT ON THE OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT OF ITS NATIONALS WERE INTENDED TO PROTECT THEM FROM EXPLOITATION.

THEY APPLIED WITH

1.

CONTRACTS

MARCH

TO 1988 FROM EFFECT

1988 AND DID NOT AFFECT 15, ENTERED

FEBRUARY INTO AFTER EXISTING CONTRACT OR RENEWAL OF AN EXISTING CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE, HE SAID.

ANY SAME

FAR HAD ANY MR BRIDGE ADDED THAT THE RESTRICTIONS HAD NOT SO

EMPLOYED OR ON MAIDS

IN NOTICEABLE EFFECT ON THE LOCAL JOB MARKET

PROCESS THEIR HONG KONG, THOUGH PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS HAD TO RUSH TO APPLICATIONS BEFORE THE CUT OFF DATE ON FEBRUARY 15.

EFFECTS

LIFTED,"

"I THINK WE HAVE GOOD REASON TO HOPE THAT THEIR FUTURE

SAID, THE RECENT DISCUSSIONS MAY ALSO BE MINIMAL, SINCE, AS I HAVE WENT WELL AND IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE RESTRICTIONS WILL BE HE SAID.

GREAT MAJORITY OF REFUGEES ARE LAW ABIDING

г

IN THE OPEN CENTRE THE CRIME RATE AMONG VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

A WHOLE HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY HIGHER THAN THAT FOR THE POPULATION AS

THE HON FOR SECURITY, THE FIVE YEARS, OVER THE PAST GEOFFREY BARNES, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SECRETARY

EXPRESSED

TERMS

OF THE

IN WAS

NUMBER THIS COMPARISON OFFENDERS PER 1,000 OF THE POPULATION AGED SEVEN OR OVER, HE SAID.

OF

SELINA CHOW, MR BARNES REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON

VIETNAMESE CAUTIONED THAT A DIRECT COMPARISON WAS DIFFICULT SINCE THE

THE 16 30 REFUGEE POPULATION HAD A HIGHER PROPORTION OF MALES IN AGE RANGE THAN THERE WAS IN THE COMMUNITY GENERALLY.

HIGHER THAN

IN AND SMALL

THE

THE

OPEN GREAT

HE STRESSED THAT ALTHOUGH THE FIGURES REFLECTED A

REFUGEES AMONG USUAL INVOLVEMENT IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

NUMBERS WERE RELATIVELY CENTRE THE MAJORITY OF REFUGEES WERE LAW-ABIDING.

OVERALL

AGE HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT FIGURES FOR THE OFFENDER RATES BY

IN GROUPS IN HONG KONG SHOWED A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF OFFENDERS THE 16 30 AGE BRACKET.

-

/A FURTHER ...