TNAG-1425-FCO40-1908-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 26

t

SA

RESTRICTED

}

ti

CLOSED CAMP CONDITIONS

Subject of much comment in press and parliament. Understand people's concern that refugees should not be confined to camps. But must point out that HMG and the Hong Kong Government attach great importance to ensuring that refugees are adequately cared for within the camps.

Would like to quote remarks made by Mr Poul Hartling United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees when he visited new Bowring closed camp earlier this month. He said he did not like idea of closed camps, but that inside the Bowring camp he "found the circumstances, the conditions, very encouraging". He compared the situation of the children at the Bowring camp with that of some of the refugees in other countries, whom he said were starving, sick, destitute and with tears in their eyes. His conclusion was that the Hong Kong authorities and the voluntary agencies were doing a very good job, for which he was very grateful. That was also my reaction when I visited the Chi Ma Wan camp in 1983.

RESTRICTED