TNAG-1752-FCO40-2472-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 74

RESTRICTED

Role of the Correctional Services Department (CSD)

HMG consider CSD to be the service best suited in Hong Kong

to perform difficult task of running closed centres. CSD administer

a variety of institutions, not just prisons: eg treatment centres

for drug addicts, training centres for young offenders. Most CSD

staff working in the closed centres are recruited for this task, and

are not trained prison officers; indeed many have social welfare

qualifications. Record of past disturbances in the open centre,

which is run by voluntary agencies, leads the Hong Kong Government

to believe that closed centres need to be managed by an experienced

and disciplined service such as CSD.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEE ISSUE

We believe that a conference at this time on Vietnamese refugees

alone, outside the broader context of the Indo-Chinese refugee

situation, would be very unlikely to attract wide international

support.

A conference on the Indo-Chinese refugee situation would almost

certainly become enmeshed in the Cambodia issue.

The best way forward is through our continuing discussions with the UNHCR and

the main resettlement countries.