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RADIO: THE PAPERS TODAY FOLLOWED UP YESTERDAY'S RTHK'S 'THIS WEEK''
COVERAGE OF THE SCORRI REPORT WITH INTERVIEWS WITH LEGCO UNOFFICIAL
ALLEN LEE WHO SAID HE WAS CONCERNED THAT HK MIGHT BE LEFT WITH
SEVERAL THOUSAND VR ''REJECTS' AND THAT HK WOULD HAVE TO FACE THE
REALITY OF ACCEPTING THEM. (MR LEE'S INTERVIEW AFTER THE POLYTECHNIC
CEREMONY WAS ALSO CARRIED BY ALL ELECTRONIC MEDIA). KARL STUMPF
CRITICISED THE MPS WHO COMPILED THE REPORT BY SAYING THAT THEY DIDN'T
REALLY HAVE ADEQUATE AND DETAILED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PARTICULAR
SITUATION IN HK AND THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN ANY ADVICE BEFORE
THEY WERE MUCH MORE ACQUAINTED (WITH THE SITUATION). HE SAID THE
UK WAS IN A BETTER POSITION TO HAVE A PROCESSING CAMP FOR VRS THAN
OVERCROWDED HK. MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE WHICH COMPILED
THE REPORT JEREMY HANLEY SAID THE COMMITTEE HOPED THAT THE UK, B
RELAXING ITS FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA, COULD TAKE IN ABOUT 500
ADDITIONAL REFUGEES FROM HK. AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ASIAN COMMITTEE
OF THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL, LORD ENNALS SAID THE REPORT SHOWED
THAT WE REALLY HAVE A LEVER IN OUR HAND TO PRESS THE GOVERNMENT
TO TAKE ACTION, '' ADDING THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN DELIGHTED TO DELAY A DECISION UNTIL THE REPORT, WHICH HAD CHALLENGED
MANY OF THE POSITIONS OF THE HOME OFFICE, WAS PUBLISHED.
PRESS COMMENTARIS
SING PAO, ON APRIL 21, SAID IT WAS GLAD THAT LEGCO UNOFFICIALS HAD
COURAGEOUSLY REFUTED THE REPORT'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO ABOLISH
CLOSED CAMPS HERE AND TO ASK THE HK GOVERNMENT TO OFFER SETTLEMENT
TO VRS OF CHINESE ORIGIN. THE FACT THAT THE UNOFFICIALS WERE BOLD
ENOUGH TO SPEAK AGAINST THE REPORT AT A TIME WHEN HK WAS STILL
UNDER BRITISH RULE SHOWED THAT HK ENJOYED A HIGH DEGREE OF FREEDOM
OF SPEECH. IT MAINTAINED THAT THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY FOR REFUGEES
WAS THE MOST HUMANE TREATMENT WE COULD OFFER. IT ASKED IF THE HK
GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE CRITICISED FOR IGNORING HUMANITARIANISM WHEN
IT HAD BEEN TRYING ITS BEST TO ARRANGE OVERSEAS RESETTLEMENT FOR
REFUGEES IN CLOSED CAMPS WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
FROM CHINA WERE ARRESTED AND IMMEDIATELY REPATRIATED EVEN THOUGH
THEIR NEXT OF KIN WERE LONG-TIME HK RESIDENTS? MOREOVER, IN VIEW
OF HK'S SMALL AREA AND HIGH POPULATION, SHOULD IT KEEP ITS DOORS
WIDE OPEN TO ALL THOSE WHO FLED THEIR COUNTRIES?
YIK CHUN OF THE PRO-CHINA TIN TIN DAILY NEWS, ON APRIL 22, WAS ALSO
CRITICAL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SAID BRITAIN HAD BEEN PAYING
ONLY LIP SERVICE TO THE PLIGHT OF THE REFUGEES, BUT HAD FAILED TO
TAKE CONCRETE ACTION IN ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES FROM HK. IF BRITAIN
WAS REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT HUMANITARIANISM, IT SHOULD ACCEPT ALL THE
VRS NOW STAYING IN CLOSED CAMPS IN HK.
-3-RESTRICTED
/ THE
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