XN000022-1993-07-13 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 1993

1

12TH BATCH OF NON-REFUGEES RETURNED TO VIETNAM

**

THE

(TUESDAY)

UNDER

REFUGEE CO-ORDINATOR, MR BRIAN BRESNIHAN, TODAY WELCOMED THE SMOOTH REPATRIATION OF 50 VIETNAMESE NON-REFUGEES THE ORDERLY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME (ORP).

WE HAVE

"THIS IS THE 12TH FLIGHT SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE ORP AGREEMENT ON OCTOBER 29, 1991 AND IT HAS AGAIN BEEN UNEVENTFUL. REPATRIATED A TOTAL OF 622 NON-REFUGEES TO VIETNAM ON THESE FLIGHTS," MR BRESNIHAN SAID.

TODAY'S

WERE

GROUP OF 50 SCREENED-OUT NON-REFUGEES PREDOMINANTLY NORTH VIETNAMESE COMPRISED 23 MEN, 12 WOMEN, 10 BOYS AND FIVE GIRLS FROM THE NEI KWU CHAU AND CHI MA WAN DETENTION CENTRES.

THEY ALL ARRIVED IN HONG KONG IN 1988 AND 1989.

"WE SCHEDULE THESE ORP FLIGHTS AT SEVERAL WEEKS' WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THESE FLIGHTS AS A MEANS VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION," MR BRESNIHAN SAID.

INTERVAL AND

ΤΟ ENCOURAGE

COMMENTING ON THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION FIGURES, MR BRESNIHAN SAID ALMOST 4,000 VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS HAD GONE HOME THIS YEAR.

IN

"WHILE IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT THE RECORD FIGURES ACHIEVED THE LATTER PART OF 1992 HAVE NOT BEEN SUSTAINED IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE NUMBER VOLUNTEERING IS INCREASING."

"I HOPE THAT THE HIGH RATE OF DEPARTURES ESTABLISHED IN 1992 IS NOW BEGINNING TO RE-EMERGE,' MR BRESNIHAN SAID.

"I

CUSTOMER LIAISON GROUPS FOR TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT

THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT IS TO SET UP CUSTOMER LIAISON GROUPS (CLG) AS THE SECOND PHASE OF ITS PERFORMANCE PLEDGE SCHEME, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

AND

"SUCH GROUPS WILL ENABLE OUR CUSTOMERS TO MONITOR OUR SERVICE, ADVISE ON THE WAYS то MAKE OUR LICENSING SERVICES MORE USER-FRIENDLY, HE SAID.

TWO CLGS WILL BE FORMED, ONE IS TO MONITOR THE HONG KONG LICENSING OFFICE AND THE OTHER THE REMAINING THREE LICENSING OFFICES.

THE CLGS WILL BE CHAIRED BY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT/MANAGEMENT AND LICENSING, MR ERNEST LEE.

THE SPOKESMAN URGED CUSTOMERS OF THE DEPARTMENT TO COME FORWARD TO SERVE AS CLG MEMBERS.

/"VIEWS EXPRESSED