XN000022-1996-05-31 — Page 33

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"Since the information to be collected from these surveys will be useful to the Government and the business community in evaluating the industrial development and investment environment of Hong Kong, we urge those establishments selected in the surveys to co-operate by completing the questionnaires," the spokesman said.

"Information on individual establishments collected from the surveys will be treated in the strictest confidence," he added.

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784 VMs return home voluntarily this month

Two hundred and fourteen Vietnamese migrants (VMs) returned to Vietnam this (Friday) morning on a voluntary repatriation flight.

This brings to 784 the number who have gone home voluntarily this month (May) and, together with the 607 VMs repatriated under the Orderly Repatriation Programme since May 14, brings the total monthly figure to 1,391.

So far this year, 2,376 VMs have returned home under the Voluntary The number of voluntary Repatriation Programme organised by the UNHCR. returnees for last year is 1,673.

The Refugee Co-ordinator, Mr Brian Bresnihan, expressed satisfaction with the May figures.

"This is the highest monthly repatriation figure since January 1994. We are obviously pleased with this achievement but hope that more VMs opt to take the voluntary route in the months ahead," he said.

In March of this year, the seventh meeting of the Steering Committee of the Comprehensive Plan of Action reaffirmed that the only viable option for the non- refugees in the camps of the region was return to Vietnam.

"The Government is committed to an early resolution of the VM problem and sincerely hopes that our camp population will conclude for themselves that they are wasting their lives in detention and their only future lies in Vietnam," he said.

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