TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 218

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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE POLICY

3.

In his oral evidence to the sub-committee, Mr Luce provided statistics of refugee arrivals for Hong Kong and for the South East Asia region as a whole which demonstrate clearly that the Hong Kong arrival rate has decreased considerably more sharply than that of the region since the introduction of the closed camp policy. (Q223) In other respects Hong Kong is an attractive place for asylum seekers: it is generally recognised that the material conditions in Hong Kong's camps, including the closed camps, are better than

those of most other countries of the

region. Indeed

conditions were

it was precisely because open camp attractive that Hong Kong appears to have acted as magnet for boat

was introduced.

a

people people until the closed camp policy

HMG consider that the conclusion is

inescapable that the decrease in the arrival rate in Hong Kong is due to the closed camp policy.

CONSEQUENCES OF ABOLISHING THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY

4.

for continuing with the

In HMG's view the reasons

closed camp policy are the s ame

were introduced in 1982.

HMG

today as when they

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

just kept pace with the

birth rate in the camps.

consequence of abolishing the closed camp s

transferring the residents

Hong Kong would

from Vietnam that

has only

combined arrival rate and

In HMG's view the likely

an d

to open camps would be that become again the magnet for people between 1979 and 1981. There

it was between

would be a sharp rise in the number of arrivals, with

corresponding increase in resettlement.

no

As a