XN000022-1990-01-16 — Page 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1990

WHETHER PROPOSITION

"THAT THEY WILL AGREE TO MONITOR THOSE WHO RETURN, VOLUNTEERS OR PEOPLE WHO ARE REPATRIATED, AND THAT IS THE WE WILL BE PUTTING WHEN THE GENEVA MEETING IS HELD, HE SAID.

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"THE AMERICANS ARE OBVIOUSLY CONSIDERING THE POSITION THEY WILL TAKE AND I HOPE THAT THEY LEAD THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN MAKING A THE MORE PRACTICAL EFFORT TO HELP HONG KONG DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM. FOREIGN SECRETARY SAID.

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GOVT WELCOMES UK CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS VBP ACCOMMODATION

THE

GOVERNMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) WELCOMED THE CONTRIBUTIONS TOTALLING ABOUT $148 MILLION WHICH HAD BEEN MADE BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT MAINLY FOR THE ACCOMMODATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS,

CONTRIBUTIONS MR DOUGLAS HURD, SPOKE OF THE

WHILE SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA AT THE END OF HIS VISIT TO THE HEI LING CHAU DETENTION CENTRE.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID: "THESE ARE VERY GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS AND SHOULD GO A LONG WAY IN ASSISTING HONG KONG TO WITH THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM.

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"THEY BRING TO 9283 MILLION THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SINCE THE 1989 FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES."

BEGINNING OF

LAST APRIL, BRITAIN CONTRIBUTED SIX MILLION POUNDS (HK$80 MILLION) TO COVER THE FULL CAPITAL COSTS OF THE PILLAR POINT REFUGER

(HK$55 CENTRE. TWO MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER 4.5 MILLION POUNDS

MILLION) WERE CONTRIBUTED, FOR EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE LATEST CONTRIBUTIONS WERE YET ANOTHER SIGN OF BRITAIN'S COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG IN GENERAL.

"THEY INDICATE THE

BRITISH

OF GOVERNMENT'S RECOGNITION

THE THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM AND ITS

FINANCIAL BURDEN ON HONG KONG OF READINESS TO ASSIST," HE SAID.

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