GRS CO UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 3751
OF 12044OZ NOVEMBER 86
•HKK 943/80 RECEIVED IN RAS/ hac
11 DEC 1986
¡UESE OFFICER,
(466
IND...
PA
OUR SECOND IPT: SPEECH BY HON. JACKIE CHAN
Atuon Taken
mek
SIR, ON THE ISSUE OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, THIS PROBLEM HAS BECOME ONE OF THE TOPICS RAISED IN YOUR ANNUAL ADDRESS FOR YEARS. WHY IS IT SO? WHEN WILL THIS PROBLEM BE RESOLVED? IF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REMAINS UNCONCERNED AND THERE IS NO CHANGE OF OUR GOVERNMENT POLICY, THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES PROBLEM CAN HARDLY BE CONTAINED. IN VIEW OF THE SMALL INTAKE BY THE WESTERN COUNTRIES THE 8,000-ODD REFUGEES STRANDED HERE COULD HARDLY BE RESETTLED IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. BUT WORSE STILL, MANY VIETNAMESE ARE LEAVING THEIR COUNTRY FOR HONG KONG NOTWITHSTANDING THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY. INSTEAD, THEY ARE CONTENTED TO WAIT PATIENTLY AT THESE CLOSED CAMPS FOR RESETTLEMENT IN WESTERN COUNTRIES. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL OBJECTIVES OF THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY IS TO CONVEY, THROUGH VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL BODIES AND REFUGEES STRANDED HERE, TO THE PEOPLE OF VIETNAM OUR POLICY IN DEALING WITH REFUGEES SO THAT THEY WOULD DROP THEIR IDEA OF BRAVING THE HIGH SEAS. OBVIOUSLY, THIS POLICY IS NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS EXPECTED. THE VIETNAMESE STILL TAKE HONG KONG AS A PLACE OF FIRST ASYLUM AND A STEPPING-STONE FOR PERMANENT RESETTLEMENT IN OVERSEAS COUNTRIES. UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR HONG KONG TO SHAKE OFF THE BURDEN UNLESS A MORE EFFECTIVE MEASURE IS ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO HANDLE THE PROBLEM. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE VIETNAM WAR HAS ALREADY ENDED FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS. THERE IS NO MORE WAR IN VIETNAM. SUCH BEING THE CASE, I FAIL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DEFINITION OF ''REFUGEES'' IS. I FEEL THAT WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REQUEST THE UNITED NATIONS TO CLARIFY THE STATUS OF VIETNAMESE ARRIVING AT HONG KONG. IF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFIRMS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS REFUGEES ANYMORE, IT WILL BE EASIER TO HANDLE THE CASE. THE GOVERNMENT CAN THEN TAKE PROSECUTION ACTION AGAINST THESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO WILL EVENTUALLY BE REPATRAITED TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. ON THE OTHER HAND, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, NEGOTIATIONS SHOULD BE SOUGHT WITH THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS TO REQUEST THE LATTER TO ACCEPT THESE REPATRIATED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM. I HOPE THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL REVIEW THE EXISTING POLICY ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
YOUDE
HMUNAN 4587
BOAT PEOPLE
LIMITED
HKD
SEAD
WED
UND
FED
NEWS D
MAED
PS
PS/MR RENTON PS/MR EGGAR
MR GILLMORE
MR SLATER MR WILSON
MR BRAITHWAITE
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION
BOAT PEOPLE
48
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.