TNAG-1529-FCO40-2093-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1986 — Page 90

Question No. 12

143

Written Reply by

RA VRLs gurit @29/2

Question

The Hon. Michael Thomas, CMG, QC, Attorney General

to a question from The Hon. Mrs. Rita Fan, JP

in the Legislative Council Meeting on 23 July 1986

With regard to the huge increase in the number of Vietnamese refugees arriving in Hong Kong so far this year: 1,196 as at 9.7.86 as

compared with 545 for the same period in 1985,

will the Government inform this Council

(a)

the reasons for the recent influx;

and

(b)

what measures will be taken to deter

-

Vietnamese refugees from coming to Hong Kong

in view of the fact that there are still over

9,000 such refugees staying here.

RECE

HKK-243/3

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2 1 AUG 1986

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7.7.0.

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Reply :

TIME

(a)

REGISTRY Action Taken

1

:

This year, 1,204 refugees had arrived from Vietnam by mid-July, more than for the whole of last year. When they

are interviewed on arrival, they are asked why they left Vietnam to come to Hong Kong. This year, most of them claimed they were leaving because of the poor state of the economy, particularly in the rural areas of the North.

Our assessment is that there are other factors at

work such as rumours that the Vietnamese Government is going to introduce stricter measures to control illegal departures, rumours that the Vietnamese Government is going to introduce harsh economic measures such as an increased levy on each harvest and devaluation of the

/2

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