XN000022-1989-01-11 — Page 42

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1989

LORD

BECAUSE SO

EFFECT THAT

THINK THAT

GLENARTHUR:

PROBLEM AND THE MUST BE

I SAID IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD SOUTHEAST ASIA'S DIFFICULTIES HAVE HAD UPON IT INTERNATIONAL. IT IS ALL VERY WELL LOOKING BACK TO 1979 BUT I DON'T ANY OF US COULD POSSIBLY HAVE FORETOLD THAT THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE LEADING TO SUCH AN OUTFLOW OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, BOAT PEOPLE, FROM THAT PART OF THE WORLD WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED AS IT HAS. WE INTRODUCED THE CHANGE OF POLICY IN JUNE LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF THE VERY REAL PROBLEMS THAT THE BOAT PEOPLE ARE CAUSING HONG KONG, AND OF COURSE ONE CANNOT BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN IN ADVANCE OF CONSEQUENCES THAT MIGHT FLOW FROM AN INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION THAT DEVELOPS AS TIME GOES BY. THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN PROMOTING THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN THE PAST TO TAKE RESETTLEMENT CASES, WE HAVE PLAYED A PART OURSELVES. I HAVE GIVEN YOU JUST NOW DETAILS OF WHAT WE HOPE TO DO IN THE WE DO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY, YES, BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOT AS SIMPLE A STRAIGHT BRITISH PROBLEM. IT IS ESSENTIALLY ONE WHICH DOES INVOLVE THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY THOSE INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES WHO HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN RESETTLEMENT CASES.

CHAN CHEUK-HAY: MAY 1 ASK IN CHINESE AGAIN?

LORD GLENARTHUR: YES, HOLD ON.

CHAN

FUTURE.

AS

CHEUR-RAY (QUESTION ASKED IN CANTONESE): BUT THE SCREENING POLICY WILL ALSO EXONERATE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE SIGNED THE 1979 AGREEMENT ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM ACCEPTING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, HOW CAN BRITISH GOVERNMENT CONVINCE HONG KONG PEOPLE THAT EFFORTS BY BRITAIN WOULD BE ABLE TO RESOLVE THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM COMPLETELY BEFORE 1997? THAT IS, ALL VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WOULD BE REMOVED FROM HONG KONG WITHOUT INCURRING A LARGE SUM OF MONEY AND NO GRADUAL INTEGRATION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES INTO THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY. COULD YOU MAKE A GUARANTEE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE THAT BRITAIN WILL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO REMOVE ALL VIETNAMESE REFUGEES BEFORE 1997?

LORD GLENARTHUR: WE HAVE TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN то TRY AND ACHIEVE THE RESETTLEMENT OF THESE PEOPLF. IN ANY CASE, 1997 IS A POINT IN THE FUTURE AND IS REALLY IRRELEVANT ΤΟ THIS PARTICULAR DISCUSSION. THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN THAT HAS BEEN MOUNTED IS IMPORTANT. IT HAS ALREADY BORNE FRUIT IN THE PAST. I SRE NO REASON WHY THE NEW ONE WHICH WE HAVE STARTED SHOULD NOT DO SIMILARLY, AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE WORKING TO ACHIEVE. RUT THE OTHER ASPECT OF IT IS THAT THOSE WHO COME TO HONG KONG AND ARE SCREENED OUT AS NOT BEING THE CORRECT

NOT BEING REFUGEES UNDER THE DEFINITION,

THE INTERNATIONALLY UNDERSTOOD DEFINITION THEIR FUTURE LIES IN VIETNAM ULTIMATELY. THAT IS WHAT I HAVE MADE PLAIN IN THE STATEMENT. THERE IS NO FUTURE FOR THEM HERE, OTHER THAN IN THE MEANTIME THE POSSIBILITY, THE FACT THAT THEY WILL BE LOCKED UP UNTIL THEY CAN GO

HOME.

t

CHAN BO SHUN