XN000022-1989-11-29 — Page 11

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1989

TO THE

THAT EFFECT

THE RESULT OF

FINALLY, HE DREW MEMBERS' ATTENTION MANDATORY REPATRIATION POLICY MIGHT HAVE ON THE CAMPS AS A GROWING TENSION AND ANXIETY.

PORT COMMENTING ON CALLS FOR ABOLISHING THE

OF FIRST ASYLUM THE BELIEF OF MANY PEOPLE POLICY, MR LEE DESCRIBED AS A "FALLACY"

ITS WORRIES THAT ONCE HONG KONG STOPPED BEING A PORT OF FIRST ASYLUM, WOULD BE OVER.

FIRST OF ALL, HE SAID,

COULD NOT

ON DECIDE RELATIONS, POLICY BECAUSE IT PERTAINED TO FOREIGN

AND IT WOULD

FOR HONG WRONG TO PRESS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO ABANDON THE POLICY

OF ACTION AS KONG AS IT WOULD BE A BREACH OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

ACCORD ON WELL AS THE 1979 GENEVA

THE RESETTLEMENT OF

REFUGEES.

HONG KONG

THE

BE

VIETNAMESE

FURTHERMORE, EVEN IF THE POLICY WERE TO BE SCRAPPED, HONG WOULD STILL BE BOUND BY THE CUSTOMARY AND GENERAL HE ADDED.

INTERNATIONAL

KONG LAW,

KONG,

THEN CUSTOMARY

ΤΟ "FOR IF THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE STILL COME

HONG

UNDER NOT, WHETHER HONG KONG IS A PORT OF FIRST ASYLUM OR OR GENERAL INTERNATIONAL LAW, WE STILL CANNOT REJECT THEM.

MUST

PEOPLE CROSS OUR

THEM PROVIDE

WITH TEMPORARY WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE

FRONTIERS

"FOR SO LONG AS THESE VIETNAMESE AND ASK FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM, WE SHELTER. AT LEAST TO ENABLE US TO DETERMINE GIVEN REFUGEE STATUS OR NOT," HE SAID.

SCRAPPING OF FIRST ASYLUM POLICY NOT RULED OUT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS WHO CALL FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE PORT OF FIRST ASYLUM POLICY MAY BE BRANDED AS MURDERERS, BUT IT IS AN OPTION WHICH HONG KONG CANNOT COMPLETELY NEGATE AS A LAST RESORT, HON TAI CHIN-WAH SAID TODAY WEDNESDAY).

MR TAI WAS SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DURING DEBATE ON URGENT MANDATORY REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE.

HE ABSTAINED FROM VOTING.

THE

THE

PAID

MR TAI SAID THAT HAVING WITNESSED THE PRICE HONG KONG HAD IN ADOPTING THE SCREENING POLICY FOR VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. HE WOULD NOT VOTE ON THE CALL FOR MANDATORY REPATRIATION.

HE SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS TO HONG KONG AND TO THE OTHER NATIONS IN ADOPTING MANDATORY REPATRIATION, AND ALSO WHETHER SUCH A POLICY WOULD EFFECTIVELY HALT THE INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WHO CAME HERE FOR ECONOMIC REASONS.

MR TAI SAID HE NEEDED TO KNOW THE TIME SPAN FOR THE RETURN OF ALL THE BOAT PEOPLE REMAINING IN HONG KONG, AND THE TIME SPAN FOR THE RESETTLEMENT OF ALL VIETNAMESE REFUGEES NOW STRANDED IN HONG KONG,

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