TNAG-1274-FCO40-1624-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 53

AKK 245/

RECEIVED IN REGISTRÝ

27 FEB 1984

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE

pa 243/1 (1983

ра

Draft speech by the Secretary for Security in the Legislative Council on Wednesday 23 November 1983, to the motion "That section 18 (3) and Parts VIIA and VIIB of the Immigration Ordinance shall expire on 31

December 1984"

G. Taken

(18/34)

Sir,

I move the motion standing in my name on the Order Paper.

Section 18 (3) of the Immigration Ordinance was enacted in January 1979 to provide that Vietnamese refugees, having been refused permission to land in Hong Kong, are subject to removal from Hong Kong by an Immigration Officer at any time and not just within two months as applies to others refused permission to land. By virtue of section 18(4), section 18 (3) will expire on 31 December of this year unless extended by resolution of this Counci

Part's VIIA and VIIB of the Ordinance were enacted in

August 1979 to deal with the problem of trafficking in illegal

immigrants. For example, they create various offences for persons who aid illegal immigrants to get into Hong Kong and they provide for the forfeiture of the property involved. By virtue of

sections 37M and 37T, these two Parts also will expire on 31

December 1983.

-> **

Although the arrival rates of both categories of unauthor- ised entrants have fallen in 1983 (that of illegal immigrants by almost two thirds and that of Vietnamese refugees by about half of their 1982 levels), the problems both of Vietnamese refugees and of trafficking in illegal immigrants are still with us. Accordingly the Motion before Council seeks to extend the legislation to which

I have just referred.

/While