In particular, we would urge the British government, which has special responsibilities to Hong Kong, to maintain its present offtake of 40 refugees per month beyond the 500 family reunion cases now being processed. Apart from its obvious immediate benefit, this move would also set an example for other resettlement countries to follow.
We hope that Oxfam may be able to take up this issue with the British government.
Closed Camp Policy
We understand why the closed camp policy was introduced in 1982. However, we have concluded that, as it is currently enforced, the policy is now actually harming the refugees, because they have remained in Hong Kong for much longer than originally expected.
The refugees are unable to function as normal families, they are denied a decent education, they are unable to take up open employment. Traditional values and structures are being undermined. The refugees are growing older but making no progress. Their integration into any normal society becomes more difficult day by day.
We accept that it may be necessary for domestic reasons for Hong Kong to place Vietnamese refugees in segregated communities. However, while acknowledging the good work that CSD staff have done, we do not think that CSD should be running these communities, although it may retain a security role.
As far as possible the refugees should run their own communities. If a government department is to be directly involved in managing the camps, we suggest that Social Welfare Department would be a much more appropriate choice than Correctional Services, and we also feel that it would be possible to give voluntary agencies a role in managing camps, instead of merely providing services such as education.
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