-2-
Finally, the Hong Kong refugees should not be viewed in isolation, for
Hong Kong's problem is really a regional dilemma with which other first asylum
countries--Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines--are
also burdened. Therefore, the most appropriate response must be a regional
one which--after addressing the first priority, the refugees' welfare--meets
the needs and constraints of the countries involved.
Hong Kong's History--A Dynamic, Crowded Colony
In the popular mind, Hong Kong is a dazzling mecca for shoppers, a pic-
turesque, mountainous island dominated by skyscrapers just off the southeast
coast of mainland China. It is one of the world's major cities, with a popu-
lation of 5.5 million crowded onto Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula.
Hong Kong, a British colonial territory of only 400 square miles, is one of
the most densely populated places in the world--5,012 persons per square mile,
compared with 230 in the United Kingdom and 22 in the United States.
Hong Kong became a British colony in the nineteenth century,
1
but it will revert to Chinese control in 1997. As a colony, Hong Kong is
ruled by a Crown-appointed governor who is assisted by Executive and
Legislative Councils for domestic affairs; Britain controls the colony's
foreign policy. Before legislation can become law, it must have the
governor's assent. Until 1985, the only elected element of Hong Kong's
government was the Urban Council. Today, citizens also participate in voting
for members of the Legislative Council. Despite this recent broadening of the
political process, Hong Kong remains a nondemocratic polity, with authority
concentrated in the hands of a few. This reality is a part of everyday life
in Hong Kong, including the government's policy towards refugees.
Despite the strictures of colonial government, Hong Kong used its free
port status to develop a dynamic economy based on trade and commerce.
In
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.