SR
8
Mr Murray
261,
NSIDE
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
HKK 360/2
en
as
७
HONG KONG: LETTER FROM MR BEN T FORD MP: RESETTLEMENT OF BOAT
PEOPLE
1.
Mr Ben T Ford MP (Labour
Bradford N) wrote to
Lord Goronwy-Roberts on 23 January to ask for his comments on a letter from the Society for Community Organisation (SOCO) in Hong Kong. The letter concerns a campaign by people living on boats in the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter in Kowloon to obtain resettlement in Government Housing and in particular about the arrest of some of them on 7 January when they tried to present a petition to the Governor.
2.
The "boat people" in this case are not to be confused with Vietnamese small-boat refugees. They are Hong Kong belongers who, lacking permanent houses, have taken up residence on boats moored without authorisation in various harbours and typhoon
shelters around Hong Kong.
3.
We have asked the Hong Kong Government for a full report on the events of 7 January. In the meantime, I submit an interim reply to Mr Ford.
26 January 1979
Användaren
RJT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
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