XN000022-1991-04-24 — Page 18

17

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1991

MR ASPREY SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD SO FAR COMPLETED SCREENING OF 29,000 PERSONS AWAITING ABOUT 21,000 PERSONS, AND THERE WERE SOME SCREENING AND THE AVERAGE WAITING TIME AT PRESENT WAS TWO YEARS DATE OF ARRIVAL.

FROM

"IT IS, HOWEVER, OUR WISH TO REDUCE THIS TIME, IF POSSIBLE TO A MAXIMUM OF 18 MONTHS, WE ARE NOW ASSESSING THE RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS OF ACHIEVING THIS IMPROVEMENT, WHICH WILL OF COURSE ALSO BE I HE SAID. UPON THE NUMBERS ARRIVING FROM VIETNAM IN FUTURE,

FOR THOSE WHO WERE FOUND NOT TO BE REFUGEES, THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE BUT RETURN TO VIETNAM.

OF

DEPENDENT

MR ASPREY SAID

RETURN "IT IS FRUSTRATING THAT THE NORMAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE

BETWEEN HONG PERSONS TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN DO NOT YET APPLY

FOR SPECIAL KONG AND VIETNAM. IF THEY DID, THERE WOULD BE NO NEED PROVISIONS IN THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE CONCERNING THE DETENTION FORMER RESIDENTS OF VIETNAM PENDING REMOVAL," HE EXPLAINED.

HOWEVER,

HE POINTED

THERE OUT THAT

WERE

OF

FOR

ARRANGEMENTS PERSONS TO RETURN VOLUNTARILY TO VIETNAM, AND IT WAS GOVERNMENT'S WISH PERSONS AND THAT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE THAT SUCH

RETURN TO SHOULD FACE THE REALITY OF THEIR SITUATION AND AGREED TO VIETNAM, RATHER THAN WASTING THEIR LIVES IN DETENTION IN HONG KONG.

CENTRES,

AS REGARDS THE TRANSFER OF PERSONS BETWEEN DETENTION MR ASPREY SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT, FOR THE GOOD ORDER OF ALL IN THE DETENTION CENTRES, THERE SHOULD BE NO DOUBT AS TO GOVERNMENT'S IN THIS REGARD.

"IT

POWER

IS REGRETTABLY AN INEVITABLE PART OF HUMAN NATURE THAT THE DETENTION CENTRES THERE WILL BE FRICTIONS, DISPUTES, ATTEMPTS THE STRONG TO PREY ON THE WEAK, AND A MINORITY OF PERSONS WHO ARE ON BEING DISRUPTIVE.

IN

BY

SET

"IT IS

NECESSARY SOMETIMES

THAT

PERSONS SUCH

SHOULD AUTHORITY ALL EMPOWERED ΤΟ

BE

TRANSFERRED. THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION, UNDER WHOSE VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS ARE DETAINED, NEED THEREFORE TO BE ORDER SUCH TRANSFERS.

"A RIGHT OF APPEAL AGAINST TRANSFER IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES BE PROVIDED," HE ADDED.

WILL

AND SINCE THE POWER TO TRANSFER WAS IN PRACTICE DELEGATED TO,

SERVICES THE CORRECTIONAL STAFF OF BY, EXERCISED

THE SENIOR

WHO MANAGED THE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE AND THE CIVIL AID SERVICES

APPROPRIATE THAT APPEAL CENTRES, MR ASPREY SAID IT WAS CONSIDERED

THE COMMISSIONER OF SHOULD

TO THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, CORRECTIONAL SERVICES OR THE CHIEF STAFF OFFICER/CIVIL AID WHO WERE THE AUTHORITIES APPOINTED FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE DETENTION CENTRES.

LIE

MR ASPREY SAID EACH OF THE PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN WAS IMPLICIT IN THE PRESENT LEGISLATION.

SERVICES,

THE BILL

/"BUT WE