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1994, CONSTRUCTION MADE GOOD PROGRESS AT TAI PO AND FANLING WHERE
POPULATIONS OF 242,000 AND 147,000 ARE EXPECTED IN THE SAME YEAR.
MAJOR ENGINEERING WORKS AND PUBLIC HOUSING CONSTRUCTION TO HOUSE 140,000 PEOPLE BY 1994 ARE UNDERWAY IN JUNK BAY AND THE FIRST RESIDENTS OF THE NEW TOWN WILL MOVE IN BY EARLY 1987. ADVANCE
ENGINEERING WORK STARTED AT TIN SHUI WAI IN THE NORTH-WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES WHERE THE POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO REACH 66,000
PEOPLE ALSO BY 1994. BY 1995 POPULATION IN THAT AREA, WHICH ALSO
INCLUDES TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG, COULD RISE TO OVER 700,000: AND TO CATER FOR THE EXPECTED TRAVEL DEMAND IN THIS REGION, WORK ON A LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM LINKING TUEN MUN WITH YUEN LONG WILL
COMMENCE EARLY NEXT YEAR.
VII. VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
50. VIETNAMESE REFUGEES CONTINUED TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG, ALTHOUGH THE 'CLOSED CENTRE' POLICY, WHICH THE CONTINUING FLOW OF ARRIVALS TOGETHER WITH THE FALL IN THE RATE OF OVERSEAS
RESETTLEMENT HAD COMPELLED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO ADOPT, WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE SIZE OF THE
INFLUX. THE RATE OF RESETTLEMENT REMAINED DISAPPOINTINGLY LOW.
IN SEPTEMBER 1985 HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT JOINTLY WITH THE HONG
KONG GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED SEVERAL MEASURES AIMED AT REDUCING THE
SIZE OF HONG KONG'S REFUGEE POPULATION: HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
WOULD RELAX ITS FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA TO PERMIT SOME 500
REFUGEES NOW IN HONG KONG CAMPS TO SETTLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM:
HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT WOULD ALSO CONSIDER ACCEPTING FURTHER
LIMITED NUMBERS FROM HONG KONG DEPENDING UPON THE RESPONSE OF
OTHER COUNTRIES AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE TIME: AND THE HONG
KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER ACCEPTING A LIMITED
NUMBER OF ETHNIC CHINESE FROM THE CAMPS, BUT ONLY AS PART OF AN
INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO REDUCE DRASTICALLY THE SIZE OF HONG
KONG'S REFUGEE POPULATION. HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT WOULD MOUNT
A MAJOR DIPLOMATIC EFFORT TO USE THESE DECISIONS TO PERSUADE
OTHER COUNTRIES TO OFFER MORE RESETTLEMENT PLACES TO HONG KONG.
MEANWHILE HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT PRESENT
CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO ABANDON THE 'CLOSED
CENTRE POLICY'.
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