Kai Tak Transit Centre
The Kai Tak Transit Centre is an open centre managed by the Hong Kong Red Cross, a voluntary agency appointed by the UNHCR.
Brief History
Most of the Kai Tak buildings date from the mid-1930s. Gray Block is the most recent, built in 1971. The buildings formed part of the old RAF Station, Kai Tak - providing quarters, messes, offices, stores and workshops. They were handed back to HK Government in early 1977 after the RAF had moved to its new base in the New Territories.
They were reopened as a Vietnamese refugee centre in January 1979, managed by a combined forces, monitored by the Security Branch, from the Prisons Department, Police, Civil Aid Services and Auxiliary Medical Services.
HK Red Cross took over management in August 1979, There were then over 66,000 refugees under UNHCR auspices. in Hong Kong, 14,800 of whom were in the Kai Tak North Camp
Kai Tak As other centres closed (as it was then known). East in December 1981 and Argyle 4 in April 1982 - their residual populations were transferred to Kai Tak North. In April 1982, Kai Tak North Camp became Kai Tak Transit Centre by then the only open centre.
The disturbances at Kai Tak Transit Centre in May 1982 provoked an exodus of 1,000 refugees to occupy
As a result, a second the old site of the Argyle 4 Camp. open centre, Jubilee Transit Centre in Sham Shui Po was
Hong Kong also opened on 2 June 1982, managed by Caritas - under UNHCR auspices.
There were disturbance from 1 to early ↳ May.
4 May, 115 As a result of the major disturbance on 3 were charged with riot or possession of offensive weapons
The causes were probably a and 57 were imprisoned. combination of the realities and frustrations of decreasing resettlement prospects, Northern/Southern differences, unruly youths, a lack of privacy and permanence, finally, gatherings outside huts sparked off fights between gangs/
factions.
refugees.
Kai Tak Transit Centre has a capacity of 6,000
/Facilities
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