TNAG-1609-FCO40-22131-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 162

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-Speech by

The Hon D G Jeaffresen, CBE JP

Secretary for Security

in Legislative Council on 11 November 1987

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY:

Sir,

Vietnamese Refugees

le

Five hon. Members have expressed great concern at our

continuing difficulties in respect of Vietnamese refugees. I

appreciate that the patience of Members of this Council and of

12 the people of Hong Kong is wearing thin after some twelve

years of granting first asylum to boat people from Vietnam on

the one hand and the difficulties we are experiencing in

getting the resettlement countries to accept them for

resettlement on the other. My hon. Friend Mr Peter C WONG

rightly contrasted the way in which we have to accept all

illegal arrivals from Vietnam with our policy of returning all

illegal immigrants to China.

Sir, $ince 1975 some 120,000 boat people have arrived in

from Vietnam

ᎨᏎ

I

Hong Kong. More than 112,000 of them have been resettled.

must again record our profound thanks to all those countries,

both large and small, which have responded to our requests for

assistance. The United States alone has resettled more than

63,000 refugees from Hong Kong, and more than 25 other

countries have helped us.

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