TNAG-1426-FCO40-1909-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 88

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than from Hong Kong, and throughout the region Hong Kong has

suffered because fewer and fewer people have been accepted from here, because resettlement countries and UNHCR know that Hong Kong is not going to maltreat them, are we suffering from our

own kindness?

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MR. HARTLING:

It is impossible for me to say such

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a thing; first of all I think refugees are not a burden, they are an asset. If you have refugees it is an asset. Now, here you have them only in transit, if you settled some and allowed

them to stay I think they would be an asset to Hong Kong. When

I look around in Hong Kong and I see what happens after the last time I came here, the changes, I can never have in my mouth words. like, "Hong Kong has suffered because they have given transit centres now to 11,000 refugees", not at all!

MR.

DAVICO:

Thank you very much Mr. High

Commissioner, thank you ladies and gentlemen, and now - radio

and TV!

- END