TNAG-1611-FCO40-2214-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 169

jungi

le le

Mrs. FAN:

Sir,

DRAFT SPEECH BY THE HON MRS RITA FAN

IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL on Wednesday 2 December 1987

JP

Motion: "That Section 18 (3) and Parts VIIA and VIIB of the Immigration Ordinance

shall expire on 31 December 1988"

In supporting this motion I wish to comment on the reasons why Section 18 (3) of the Immigration Ordinance is still necessary and to express my deep concern at the increasing burden that is being imposed on Hong Kong by the Vietnamese refugee problem.

per

senc

Between the end of 1979 and the beginning of this year the number of refugees in our open and closed camps had been

per cent steadily declining, This year, owing to a 54% increase in arrivals and a 44 decline in resettlement, the number has, for the first time, increased sharply. On 1 December 1987 there were 9,331 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, and by the end of the year it is possible that the number will pass the 10,000

1 per cent. mark, which will represent an increase of nearly 25% over the number of refugees remaining in Hong Kong at the end of last year. Even when the numbers of refugees in Hong Kong were still gradually declining Members of this Council were concerned that Vietnamese refugees and closed camps were becoming a permanent feature in Hong Kong, just as the temporary, emergency provisions under discussion today are becoming a permanent part of our Immigration Law. In the

Her adjournment debate on 7 January this year we urged that MG should pursue stronger, more lasting solutions in the form of repatriation of those who were not genuine refugees. We have since been told repeatedly by HMG that such solutions will require lengthy and complex diplomatic negotiation and that we

should not expect to see fast results. It now seems from the

remarks of visiting British officials that it will be well into

the 1990s before we can even expect Vietnam to take the subject

(I)

Majesty's Governm