CONFIDENTIAL
3
resettlement prospects discourage them, similar numbers
(40-50,000) will set out next year with, similarly, 8-10,000 reaching Hong Kong. Forcible repatriation is politically out of the question. Voluntary repatriations, which Hong Kong
favour, are rare: Hong Kong suspect that UNHCR tend to
discourage them. In summary, Hong Kong is likely to be looking after a residue of 12,000 plus for a few years.
CLOSED CAMPS
-
HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS
7. FCO Legal Advisers believe that the legislation the Hong
Kong Government introduced to detain Vietnamese refugees in
closed camps gives rise to breaches of a number of articles of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been extended to Hong Kong. We have pressed the Hong Kong Government to look again at their legislation. They have so far not responded. This may be an opportune time to remind them of
our concern: there is an additional embarrassment in that HMG
has to make a report on human rights matters to the United
Nations.
8.
UNHCR's Head of Mission in Hong Kong, Mrs Dolores Lasan, has been firm in supporting Hong Kong's closed camp policy, which is even now no worse, and in most cases better, than the
policies followed by other countries in the region. As long as this continues to be the case, it is probable that Hong Kong will not come in for widespread criticism from the human rights
angle. It is therefore important that relations between the
Hong Kong Government and the UNHCR should be maintained in their
current good state. The UNHCR recently raised with the Hong
Kong Government some queries on alleged ill-treatment of refugees at Tai Tam Camp: these have been answered, but
illustrate the difficulties that are likely to occur when staff of the Correctional Services Department are used to run the
camps.
Hong Kong and General Department
November 1982
CONFIDENTIAŁAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.