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conditions which prevented Hong Kong from accepting the 1951
Convention remained unchanged.
4.
In recent years the arrival in Hong Kong of large numbers of
boat refugees from Vietnam has created considerable tension. Hong
Kong policy since 1980 of repatriating most illegal Chinese immigrants in co-operation with the authorities of the People's
Republic, has made it difficult to accept the integration of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong. This fact coupled with the continuing problem of immigration from China, has made it
inappropriate in recent years for the convention and Protocol to be extended to Hong Kong.
5.
None of the countries of the region giving temporary asylum to Vietnamese and other Indo/Chinese refugees is party to the 1951
Convention and 1967 Protocol. They nevertheless, like Hong Kong,
co-operate as far as possible with UNHCR in the protection of and assistance to refugees.
The draft reply has been agreed with UND, FED, The Legal Advisers and the Hong Kong Government.
6.
Distribution
Parliamentary Unit
HKD
UND
NTD
FED
Mrs Morphet, Research Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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