XN000022-1988-12-12 — Page 6

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1988

APPEAL TO CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO DISPEL RUMOURS

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THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR GEOFFREY BARNES, TODAY (MONDAY)

AND THE MEDIA APPEALED TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES

ΤΟ HELP DISPEL UNFOUNDED RUMOURS WHICH HAD LED TO MORE EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING IN HONG KONG FROM CHINA.

"I WOULD LIKE TO APPEAL TO THEM TO MAKE KNOWN THE HONG KONG

WIDELY GOVERNMENT'S POLICY AS

AS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY

THOSE IN AREAS OF GUANGXI IN CHINA WHERE THESE UNFOUNDED RUMOURS ARE CIRCULATING," HE SAID.

A

HAD MR BARNES REITERATED THAT THERE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TOWARDS THE TREATMENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING IN HONG KONG,

IT

BEEN NO CHANGE TO THE OF EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE

THE PROCESSES OF THE LIBERALISATION PROGRAMME, WHICH ARE CLASSIFIED AS BEING PURSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT, APPLY ONLY TO PERSONS REFUGEES BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, HE SAID.

"I

"THIS CLASSIFICATION DOES NOT EXTEND TO FORMER VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN SETTLED IN CHINA.

PROGRAMME;

NOR

"SUCH PEOPLE WILL NOT BE GIVEN REFUGEE STATUS IN HONG KONG AND

THE WILL NOT BENEFIT IN ANY WAY FROM

LIBERALISATION WILL THEY HAVE ACCESS TO RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

"THEY WILL

BE

TREATED AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND

WILL

BE

RETURNED TO CHINA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE."

YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) ANOTHER 94 EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRIVED IN HONG KONG, BRINGING TO 255 THE TOTAL SUCH ARRIVALS SO FAR THIS MONTH.

NUMBER OF

IN NOVEMBER THERE WERE 61 SUCH ARRIVALS, COMPARED OCTOBER AND THREE IN SEPTEMBER.

WITH 19

IN

TUEN MUN HOSPITAL NEARING compleTION

THE LARGEST LOCAL HOSPITAL TO BE BUILT IN THE LAST 10 YEARS NEARING COMPLETION IN TUEN MUN.

18

THE

TUEN

MUN

HOSPITAL,

OCCUPYING

—

EIGHT-HECTARE SITE EXCLUSIVE OF STAFF QUARTERS AND PROVIDE A TOTAL OF 1,656 BED SPACES.

AN

APPROXIMATELY

LAUNDRY

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WILL

/SITUATED SOUTHEAST