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REGION.
INDEED IT WAS PRECISELY BECAUSE OPEN CENTRE CONDITIONS WERE ATTRACTIVE THAT HONG KONG APPEARS TO HAVE ACTED AS A MAGNET FOR BOAT PEOPLE BEFORE THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY WAS INTRODUCED. HMG CONSIDER THAT THE CONCLUSION IS INESCAPABLE THAT THE DECREASE IN THE ARRIVAL RATE IS DUE TO THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY. CONSEQUENCES OF ABOLISHING CLOSED CAMP POLICY
4.
IN HMG'S VIEW THE REASONS FOR CONTINUING THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY ARE THE SAME TODAY AS WHEN THEY WERE INTRODUCED IN 1982. HMG NOTE THAT THE REPORT RECOGNISES THAT THE LATTER ARE 'UNDERSTANDABLE' (PARA 21). A SUBSTANTIAL FLOW OF REFUGEES CONTINUES TO LEAVE VIETNAM. ALTHOUGH THE HONG KONG ARRIVAL RATE HAS DECREASED MORE SHARPLY THAN THAT OF THE REGION AS A WHOLE SINCE 1982, THE RESETTLEMENT RATE HAS ONLY JUST KEPT PACE WITH THE ARRIVAL RATE AND BIRTH RATE IN THE CAMPS. IN HMG'S VIEW THE LIKELY CONSEQUENCE OF ABOLISHING THE CLOSED CAMPS AND TRANSFERRING. THE RESIDENTS TO OPEN CAMPS WOULD BE THAT HONG KONG WOULD BECOME AGAIN THE MAGNET FOR PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM THAT IT WAS BETWEEN 1979 AND 1981. THERE WOULD BE A SHARP RISE IN THE NUMBER OF ARRIVALS, WITH NO CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN RESETTLEMENT. AS A RESULT HONG KONG, WHICH ALREADY HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF BOAT PEOPLE AWAITING RESETTLEMENT IN SOUTH EAST ASIA (AND HAS DONE SO FOR THEEE YEARS), WOULD HAVE TO SHOULDER AN EVEN LARGER SHARE OF THE BURDEN. WHEN ADDITIONAL FACTORS SUCH AS THE TERRITORY'S EXTREME POPULATION DENSITY AND THE CONTINUING BURDEN OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT LOCAL HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD STRONGLY RESENT SUCH A MEASURE. HMG'S CONCLUSION IS THAT AT PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO ACCEPT THE SELECT COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY BE ENDED. CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE FCO WOULD WITHDRAW SANCTION FROM CLOSED CAMP POLICY
5. IT HAS NEVER BEEN EITHER HMG'S OR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION THAT THE CLOSED CAMPS SHOULD BE A PERMANENT FEATURE OF HONG KONG'S REFUGEE POLICY. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE ALWAYS MADE CLEAR THAT THE POLICY IS A TEMPORARY MEASURE: IF THE FLOW OF ILLEGAL DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM WERE TO BE REDUCED TO A TRICKLE,
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