TNAG-1418-FCO40-1901-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 169

PUBLIC REACTION

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THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPERS CARRIED REACTIONS FROM LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS, WELFARE AGENCIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS. SO FAR THERE HAS BEEN NO PUBLIC REACTION OR PRESS COMMENTARIES IN THE

CHINESE LANGUAGE PAPERS.

COMMENTS FROM LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS INCLUDED MARIA TAM, WHO SAID THAT HK COULD ONLY CONSIDER LIFTING THE (CLOSED CAMP) POLICY IF BRITAIN WAS PREPARED TO TAKE ON ALL THE REFUGEES THAT COME OUR WAY''. SELINA CHOW GAVE A FLAT NO TO THE PROPOSAL TO ABOLISH THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY AND STEPHEN CHEONG CHALLENGED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO ADMIT ALL THE REFUGEES IN HK AND START AN OPEN CAMP POLICY THERE. RITA FAN SAID THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY WAS HK'S OWN AFFAIR AND HK SHOULD MAKE ITS OWN DECISIONS. CHEUNG YAN-LUNG SAID THERE SHOULD BE MORE CONCENTRATION ON RESETTLING THE REFUGEES, NOT

ABOLISHING THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY.

SALVATION ARMY SPOKESMAN CAPTAIN JOHN MACPHERSON AGREED THAT BRITAIN SHOULD START TAKING IN MORE REFUGEES, BUT NOTED THAT ALTHOUGH THE RECOMMENDATION TO RESETTLE LOCALLY ETHNIC CHINESE IN THE CAPMS WAS

GOOD IN PRINCIPLE, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT. AND ABOLITION

OF THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY ADVOCATE MRS ELSIE ELLIOTT SAID BRITAIN

SHOULD DO MORE FOR HK'S REFUGEES, AND **NOW'' WAS THE EXACT TIME TO

ABOLISH THE CLOSED CAMPS.

COVERAGE APRIL 21/22, 1985

PRESS: IN PROMINENT COVERAGE, MANY

INCLUDING THE LEADING LEFT-WING

TA KUNG PAO AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS, ON APRIL 21, QUOTED THE

GOVERNOR SIR EDWARD YOUDE AS SAYING THAT HE WOULD CONFER WITH

BRITISH MINISTERS AND MPS ON THE SCORRI REPORT DURING HIS STAY IN

LONDON. IN HEADLINES, THE PAPERS GENERALLY STRESSED THAT THE GOVERN-

MENT'S OBJECTIVE WAS TO MAINTAIN INTERNATIONAL INTEREST IN THE

REFUGEE PROBLEM AS WELL AS A FLOW OF RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM

THE TERRITORY.

WHILE A FEW PAPERS PICKED UP THE SCM POST STORY ON SATURDAY, APRIL 20, ON THE REACTION OF LEGCO UNOFFICIALS AND THE SALVATION ARMY TO THE REPORT, SEVERAL OTHERS QUOTED LEGCO MEMBER ALLEN LEE

AS REITERATING THAT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS DID NOT HAVE A GOOD UNDER-

STANDING OF THE HK SITUATION AND ITS CRITICISMS OF THE CLOSED CAMPS

IN HK WERE THEREFORE UNFAIR.

SPEAKING TO THE PRESS AT THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF A NEW HK

POLYTECHNIC STUDENT UNION COMMITTEE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 20, MR LEE

STRESSED THAT IT WAS CORRECT FOR HK TO IMPLEMENT THE CLOSED CAMP

POLICY TO DETER THE INFLUX OF REFUGEES. WHILE NOTING THAT BRITAIN

WAS THE COUNTRY WHICH HAD THE LOWEST REFUGEE INTAKE OVER THE PAST

FEW YEARS, HE SAID IT WOULD BE WELCOMED IF THE UK WOULD ACCEPT MORE.

IN A LENGTHY LETTER PUBLISHED IN TIN TIN DAILY NEWS YESTERDAY, A

GROUP OF READERS, WHO CLAIMED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT HK'S SOCIAL

DEVELOPMENT, URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY

WHICH THEY DESCRIBED AS AN INFRINGEMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

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