XN000022-1995-04-12 — Page 2

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Governor welcomes Appeal Court decision

The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, today (Wednesday) welcomed the decision of the Court of Appeal to reverse a High Court ruling under which three Vietnamese migrants (VMs) were released from detention. The Governor was speaking to the media after a visit to the Sau Mau Ping Estate in the afternoon.

He said that the Government would be getting in touch with the lawyers of the VMs to discuss their re-detention as soon as reasonable and possible.

"But we will do that in as humane a way as possible," he added.

On the VM problem, Mr Patten said that every community recognised that it had to limit those who came and lived in it, particularly when they had come for economic rather than political reasons.

"If they come illegally, it is perfectly reasonable and recognised as such by the international community that they should be detained until they can be returned to their country of origin.

"That is done in many countries around the world. There are few countries which have handled such a difficult problem as humanely as Hong Kong has done.

"Of course we have our problems from time to time. We've learnt from those problems.

"We've continued to handle the issue firmly, but with I think considerable humanity," he said.

End/Wednesday, April 12, 1995