XN000022-1990-06-25 — Page 24

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TO ORDINARY PEOPLE, BUT ALSO TO BUSINESS PEOPLE, KNOWING THAT IF THERE IS A DISPUTE THERE IS A LEGAL SYSTEM IN WHICH THEY CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE, WHERE THE JUDICIARY IS SEPARATE FROM THE EXECUTIVE. THE EXECUTIVE THAT IS, MY ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT INFLUENCE, CANNOT INFLUENCE WHAT THE COURTS ARE DOING. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE KEY WESTERN VALUES WHICH WE WERE VERY KEEN INDEED, AND I'M SURE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WERE VERY KEEN INDEED, TO SEE WRITTEN IN TO THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE. BECAUSE THEY ARE REALLY THE BEDROCK ON WHICH HONG KONG IS FOUNDED.

OLIVER SCOTT:

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I'M STILL

SIR DAVID, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE THOUGHTS. WAS SITTING HERE WONDERING WHETHER THE PHRASE 'WESTERN VALUES' POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN CONFUSED FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES' WONDERING ABOUT THAT SCORE. MEANWHILE, DR. SUSAN ZEIKLIN, HONG KONG, I THINK HAS GOT ANOTHER QUESTION ON THAT TOPIC OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. DR. ZEIKLIN.

CALLER: GOOD EVENING, SIR DAVID.

SIR DAVID:

GOOD EVENING, DR. ZEIKLIN.

AGAIN FROM

CALLER : I WONDER IF YOU COULD TELL ME WHY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO EXTEND FULL CO-OPERATION TO THE CHARITABLE AGENCIES WHO ARE TRYING TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE?

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SIR DAVID: WELL, I HOPE WE HAVEN'T BEEN FAILING TO EXTEND CO- OPERATION BECAUSE THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES HERE HAVE DONE A SPLENDID JOB OVER MANY YEARS, AS I KNOW PERSONALLY VERY WELL. THE ONLY THING THAT I FEEL YOU MAY HAVE AT THE BACK OF YOUR MIND IS THAT DURING LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD THIS TREMENDOUS INFLUX OF PEOPLE, 34,000 PEOPLE IN THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR, COMING INTO HONG KONG AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING IN BRITAIN IT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF SOMETHING LIKE 300,000 PEOPLE SAILING UP THE THAMES IN THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR WE WERE REALLY OVERWHELMED, AND I KNOW THAT DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME SOME OF THE WORK DONE BY THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN THE CAMPS HAD TO BE SUSPENDED. WE NEEDED THE ACCOMMODATION, FOR INSTANCE, WHERE PEOPLE WERE RUNNING SCHOOLS ETC.. SO WE HAD TO SUSPEND SOME OF THOSE OPERATIONS IN THE CAMPS. BUT I WOULD, MYSELF, LIKE TO SEE FULL CO- OPERATION BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES HERE BECAUSE I THINK THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES HAVE A VERY USEFUL AND IMPORTANT ROLE THAT THEY CAN PLAY.

OLIVER SCOTT: SIR DAVID, CAN WE JUST GET ON TO THIS QUESTION OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND THE ENFORCED REPATRIATION. NOW, THERE WAS ONE GO AT THAT, AS YOU KNOW A SMALL BATCH WERE RETURNED AGAINST THEIR WILL. THERE WAS INTERNATIONAL UPROAR, SINCE WHICH TIME THE POSITION SEEMS TO HAVE GONE VERY QUIET, IF THAT IS NOT PUTTING IT TOO CYNICALLY. WHAT IN FACT IS THE POLICY AT PRESENT ON ENFORCED REPATRIATION?

SIR DAVID: WELL, OUR POLICY IS, AND HAS BEEN NOW FOR SOME TIME, THAT PEOPLE WHO ARRIVE HERE SHOULD BE SCREENED TO SEE WHETHER THEY ARE GENUINE POLITICAL REFUGEES OR WHETHER THEY ARE COMING HERE FOR SOME OTHER REASON, AND THAT SCREENING IS DONE UNDER THE AUSPICES OR WITH THE AGREEMENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, UNHCR. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT NOW FOR SOME TIME AND THE REASON THAT

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