TNAG-1424-FCO40-1907-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 94

The Hong Kong Government introduced in July 1982 a policy of placing newly arriving refugees in closed

centres, from which they are not permitted to seek

outside employment. This step was taken with great

reluctance, but it was considered essential to try to discourage people from setting out from Vietnam

for Hong Kong. It is true that the UNHCR has been

critical of the closed centres: nevertheless I

believe they understand the reasons why in Hong

Kong's case the policy had to be adopted. The

centres are in fact run in cooperation with the

UNHCR. Since the closed centres were established,

the arrival rate has slowed but a flow nevertheless

continues. As long as the problem lasts, the Hong Kong

Government can see no alternative but to continue the

policy of closed centres.

CSD have

You mention the fact that the closed centres are

run by the Correctional Services Department (CSD).

The reason for this is that the Hong Kong Government

consider them to be the service best suited in Hong

Kong to perform the task. CSD have experience of

administering a wide variety of institutions, such

as treatment centres for addicts undergoing rehabilitation

and training centres for youg offenders.

recruited a separate category of junior officers, trained specifically in refugee work and deliberately without

any experience of work in Hong Kong's penal institutions,

to staff all the closed centres at below senior

management level. Also, the daily affairs of each centre are run in close consultation with individual

centre committees composed of elected representatives

from each hut. UNHCR also co-operate in the running

of the centres, and help to fund them.

/You