TNAG-1425-FCO40-1908-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 116

H

perhaps

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indefinitely thereafter

is profoundly worrying for the

following reasons:

(a) As the length of stay in

increases and the prospects for

camps, particularly closed camps,

resettlement for mos t refugees

remain poor or worsen, despair ma y 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.

The

for

resettlement.

(b) Long term detention is not a suitable way to prepare refugees

UNHCR and others are concerned that refugees who spend a long time

long time in closed centres will

closed centres will lose their will to regain their self-sufficiency.

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

that Vietnamese are allowed to rema in indefinitely in Hong Kong

while illegal immigrants from China are

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

next 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 than its fair

share of the Vietnamese refugee burden.

(d)

The Hong Kong Government and HMG will

and HMG will face strong humanitarian

lobbying to end the closed centre policy, especially if there are

outbreaks of violence.

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

(f)

Finally, it is possible that, if the problem continues unsolved

become s more serious, we may face Chinese pressure to set

house in order before 1997.

our

or

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