XN000022-1994-05-20 — Page 4

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1994

2.

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, THERE'S CONFLICTING INFORMATION ON THE CASE OF HO-TAK, THE SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY, WHO'S DEPORTED TO CHINA. EARLIER IN THE WEEK, ON TUESDAY YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T AWARE OF THE CASE ON TUESDAY EVEN THOUGH THE PARENT'S HAD BEEN NOTIFIED ON MONDAY. YESTERDAY, THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID THAT YOU HAD LOOKED AT THE CASE AND THE FINAL DECISION WAS EVENTUALLY MADE BY MR WOODHOUSE. J JUST WONDER WHETHER YOU CAN PUT IN PERSPECTIVE WHAT MOST CHRONOLOGY EVENTS WERE AND WHY IT WAS STILL A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT ESSENTIALLY THAT WAS REVIEWING A CASE WHICH HAVE ALREADY GONE THROUGH IMMIGRATION TRIBUNAL, AND THE RISK WHEN YOU WERE THE HIGHER AUTHORITY

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P

THE

GOVERNOR: WELL, I'M SURE THAT YOU'VE FAMILIARISED YOURSELF WITH WAY THESE MATTERS ARE DEALT WITH AND YOU'LL KNOW THAT SINCE 1980, I REPEAT SINCE 1980, THE FINAL DECISION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY ON DELEGATED AUTHORITY FROM THE GOVERNOR. THAT'S HAPPENED UNDER LORD MACLEHOSE; IT'S HAPPENED UNDER SIR EDWARD YOUDE; IT'S HAPPENED UNDER LORD WILSON AND IT'S STILL HAPPENED. SO, WHEN I SAID AT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL THAT I WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE DETAILS OF THE CASE ON MONDAY NIGHT THAT WAS THE LITERAL AND UNVARNISHED TRUTH. HOWEVER, SINCE I WAS ASKED ABOUT THE CASE, I LOOKED AT THE DETAILS ON TUESDAY MORNING AND WAS SATISFIED WHEN I LOOKED AT IT THAT THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY HAD MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.

IT'S AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DECISION AS THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID YESTERDAY AND I ENDORSR EVERYTHING SHR SAID, AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DECISION. THE ISSUE HAD GONE THROUGH THE COURTS SINCE 1991 AND I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT SINCE 1991, 2,200 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO CHINA, 2,200. IT SEEMED TO US AND IT CERTAINLY SEEMED TO ME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY SENDING OTHER CHILDREN BACK TO CHINA IF WITH THAT YOUNG CHILD WHOSE CASE HAD BEEN THROUGH ALL THE COURTS, ONE MUST TAKE A DIFFERENT VIEW, THESE MATTERS, I REPEAT, ARE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT AND PARTICULARLY HARROWING. BUT IF WE THINK THAT

WE

SHOULD HAVE A TOUGH POLICY IN ORDER TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING INTO HONG KONG, THEN IT DOES INVOLVE FROM TIME TO TIME PEOPLE HAVING TO TAKE EXTREMELY DISAGREEABLE DECISIONS.

QUESTION: GIVEN YOUR

COMMENTS EARLIER IN THE WEEK THOUGH

WOULDN'T IT BE FEASIBLE IF THE FAMILY BELIEVES YOU SHOULD LOOK AT CASE, YOU WERE THE LAST GROUND FOR APPEAL IN THE LAND, DESPITE BEFORE?

THE

GOVERNOR: I REPEAT THAT FOR 14 YEARS, THAT IS THE WAY THE ISSUE HAS BEEN TREATED AND DURING THAT PERIOD, THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN HAVE GONE BACK TO CHINA. 1'M NOT SURE WHERE ALL THE INTEREST HAS BEEN WHILE 2,200 HAVE GONE BACK IN THE LAST THREF YEARS WHILE THIS UNFORTUNATE YOUNG LAD'S CASE HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH THE COURTS. I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT AS WELL, THAT IT'S NOT THE GOVERNMENT THAT CHOSE IN THE FIRST PLACE TO SEPARATE MOTHER AND CHILD. THE NOTHER MADE THAT' DECISION HERSELF.

QUESTION: CONCERNING HONG KONG'S ETHNIC MINORITY WHO FACE AFTER 1997, WILL YOU BE PRESSING THEIR CASE FOR BRITISH DURING YOUR VISIT TO LONDON?

STATELESS

PASSPORT

GOVERNOR: YES, I WILL BE PRESSING THAT CASE ONCE AGAIN. I'VE DONE BEFORE. I'LL DO SO AGAIN.

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/QUESTION: