TNAG-1424-FCO40-1907-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 28

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CONFIDENTIAL

perhaps

indefinitely thereafter is profoundly worrying for the

following reasons:

(a)

A s the length of stay in camps, particularly closed camps,

increases and the prospects for resettlement for most refugees

remain poor or worsen, despair may set in and give rise to

disturbances of which we have already had a foretaste (para 7(a)

above). Hunger strikes will probably give way to riots. There are

children now growing up in the camps who will have lived their whole

lives in confinement.

(b) Long term detention is not a suitable way

prepare refugees

for resettlement. UNHCR and others are concerned that refugees who

spend a long time in closed centres will lose their will to regain

their self-sufficiency.

that

(c) The local Chinese population of Hong Kong consider it unjust

Vietname se are allowed to remain indefinitely in Hong Kong

while illegal immigrants from China are repatriated. They find it

difficult to accept that public money should be spent on building,

equipping and running refugee centres rather than on social services

and other amenities for the local population. (The cost to the Hong

Kong government of providing asylum for Vietnamese refugees in the

financial year will be HK$ 103 million, of which HK$ 22.5

million will probably be reimbursed by UNHCR). There

is a general

feeling that Hong Kong is being asked to shoulder more

share of the Vietnamese refugee burden.

next

than its fair

strong humanitarian

especially if there are

(d) The Hong Kong Government and HMG will face

lobbying to end the closed centre policy, policy,

outbreaks of violence.

(e) Legal questions may be raised about the closed centre policy;

(£) Finally, it is possible that, if the problem continues unsolved

becomes more serious, we may face Chinese pressure to set Our

house in order before 1997.

or

CONFIDENTIAL