XN000022-1989-06-13 — Page 7

TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1989

VBP PROBLEM GETTING THOROUGH AIRING: GOVERNOR

* *

THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY HE HOPED THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WERE PLEASED THAT A PROBLEM WHICH HAS PLAGUED US FOR A LONG TIME WAS GETTING A VERY THOROUGH AIRING IN GENEVA.

SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE END OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES, SIR DAVID SAID SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON PARTS OF THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH NOBODY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WOULD COME OUT AT THE END.

THE

HE WELCOMED THE OFFER BY THE PHILIPPINO DELEGATION TO HOST PROPOSED REGIONAL RESETTLEMENT CENTRE FOR REFUGEES IN FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES, DESCRIBING IT AS SOMETHING WHICH HONG KONG HAD BEEN HOPING FOR BUT NOT FORESEEN BEFORE THE CONFERENCE.

THE GOVERNOR TOLD REPORTERS THAT APART FROM ATTENDING CONFERENCE THE UK/HK TEAM HAD MET THE VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTER OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VIETNAMESE DELEGATION.

THE

AND

THE MEETING WOULD CONTINUE TOMORROW AND HE HOPED TO FIND A WAY FORWARD IN AGREEING ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR REPATRIATING PEOPLE ΤΟ VIETNAM, HE ADDED.

SIR DAVID SAID THE TEAM HAD ALSO DISCUSS PERCEPTIONS THAT THE BRITISH AND BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM.

MET THE US DELEGATION ΤΟ UNITED STATES HAD ON THE

THESE PERCEPTIONS, HE SAID, WERE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME IN THAT BOTH COUNTRIES RECOGNISED THAT THERE WERE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT GENUINE REFUGEES AND WHO WERE NOT GOING TO BE RESETTLED.

"BUT WE ALSO HAVE A DIFFERENCE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THAT PROBLEM, HE SAID.

"

ON A COMMENT BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, SIR GEOFFREY HOWE, THAT HONG KONG MIGHT BE FORCED TO SUSPEND ITS PORT OF FIRST ASYLUM POLICY IF THE BOAT PEOPLE CRISIS CONTINUED UNRELIEVED, THE GOVERNOR SAID THIS WAS A STATEMENT OF FACT.

HE SAID HONG KONG WAS SUFFERING FROM INTOLERABLE PRESSURES AND ALL ITS FACILITIES WERE OVERWHELMED.

"IT IS A STATEMENT OF FACT THAT UNLESS WE CAN FIND SOME WAY OF RESOLVING THIS PROBLEM, AND BY THAT I MEAN THAT THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE DECREASE OR WE CAN FIND WAYS OF DEALING WITH THE HUGH NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE'VE ALREADY GOT, THEN WE SIMPLY CAN'T GO ON AS WE ARE.

"

"BUT THIS IS A POINT WE DON'T WANT ΤΟ HAVE то REACH, HE

STRESSED.

"WHAT WE ARE DOING IS TO WARN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE FACING AN INTOLERABLE STRAIN, AND WE CAN'T SIMPLY GO ON AS WE ARE IF THIS INTOLERABLE STRAIN CONTINUES WITHOUT RELIEF," HE SAID.

0

/7