CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall
We think that Hong Kong has generally done a good job in looking after refugees from Vietnam, particularly at the height of the crisis in 1979. It is a difficult issue, and there are ways in which we think the policies could be improved, but it is worth repeating that:
no refugee has been refused permission to land in Hong Kong
been
$500 million of taxpayers' money has spent on caring for refugees since 1979
14,500 refugees and displaced persons from Indo-China have been permanently resettled in Hong Kong since 1975
Resettlement and Repatriation
The ultimate solution to the problem of Hong Kong's Vietnamese refugees lies with third countries, which have an obligation to offer more places of resettlement.
Hong Kong has played its role as a place of first asylum, and we believe that the accommodation it has provided is not unsatisfactory for short-term residents. We also welcome the government's decision to resettle 20 'long-stay' refugees in Hong Kong each month. By accepting some of the people who have been consistently rejected by other countries the government has injected some hope into the system.
It is a pity that other countries have not followed Hong Kong's example. It is not reasonable to expect Hong Kong to act as a place of final settlement. That is a job for third countries.
There is an urgent need to speed up resettlement, to clear the backlog of refugees who have been waiting in camps for years. The human cost of delay is unacceptable lives are being wasted.
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