XN000022-1989-10-11 — Page 23

6

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1989

"AT THE STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING IN GENEVA NEXT WEEK. WE BE MAKING VERY STRONGLY THE POINT THAT SCREENING AND REPATRIATION ARE INSEPARABLE.

WILL

"IT IS ONLY BY INTRODUCING A SCHEME FOR ORDERLY RETURN THAT WE WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF DISORDERLY ARRIVALS.

**THE THOUSANDS THAT ARE BEING SCREENED OUT AS NON-REFUGEES MUST GO BACK TO THEIR HOMES IN VIETNAM.

"IT IS ONLY BY FINDING A WAY TO RETURN NON-REFUGEES HOME THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING FOR THOSE WHO ARE GENUINE REFUGEES, HE SAID.

— —

ti

THE GOVERNOR SAID SINCE LAST OCTOBER, SOME 34.000 VIETNAMESE HAD ARRIVED IN HONG KONG - THE HIGHEST NUMBER IN ANY YEAR SINCE 1979 PUTTING AN ENORMOUS STRAIN ON THE TERRITORY'S RESOURCES, AS WELL AS ON THE PEOPLE'S PATIENCE AND COMPASSION.

SIR DAVID SAID HE SYMPATHISED WITH THOSE WHO ARGUED THAT HONG KONG HAD NOW DONE ENOUGH, BUT POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS NOT BY CHOICE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SPENT INCREASING AMOUNTS OF PUBLIC FUNDS, AND USED INCREASING AMOUNTS OF SCARCE LAND, ON HOUSING AND LOOKING AFTER A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS STREAM OF ARRIVALS FROM VIETNAM.

"THOSE WHO COME HERE DO NOT SEEK A HOME IN HONG KONG. THEIR GOAL IS ELSEWHERE: IN PARTICULAR, THE UNITED STATES.

"BUT THEY HAVE LITTLE PROSPECT OF EVER GETTING THERE, OR ANYWHERE ELSE," HE SAID. NOTING THAT OVER 80 PER CENT OF THE VIETNAMESE NOW ARRIVING IN HONG KONG DID NOT MEET UNITED STATES RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA.

"DURING THE PAST YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT HAS STRONGLY AND CONSISTENTLY ARGUED THAT THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THIS HUMAN TRAGEDY IS THAT THOSE WHO ARE DEFINED AS REFUGEES MUST BE RESETTLED OVERSEAS, AND THOSE WHO DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA MUST GO BACK TO VIETNAM.

"THIS IS A VIEW WHICH IS SHARED BY A NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES WHICH HAVE WORKED MOST CLOSELY WITH THE VIETNAMESE, INCLUDING OXFAM, SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND AND THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL. SIR DAVID SAID.

HONG KONG HAD TAKEN THE LEAD IN INTRODUCING A SCREENING POLICY AS A FIRST STEP TOWARDS PUTTING THIS SOLUTION INTO EFFECT, AND THIS POLICY HAD BEEN FOLLOWED ELSEWHERE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND, MOST RECENTLY, BY JAPAN, THE GOVERNOR SAID.

HE SAID THE GENEVA CONFERENCE IN JUNE ENDORSED THIS POLICY OF SCREENING AND AGREED ON PRINCIPLES FOR THE REPATRIATION OF NON-REFUGEES, BUT IT DID NOT TAKE THE ESSENTIAL NEXT STEP OF ENDORSING THE REPATRIATION OF ALL THOSE SCREENED OUT AS NON-REFUGEES.

IN EFFECT IT ASKED HONG KONG TO MAKE FURTHER EFFORTS то ENCOURAGE THESE PEOPLE TO RETURN HOME VOLUNTARILY.

/"WE HAVE