A wrench
EMBARGOED:10.30 AM
BRITISH
REFUGEE
COUNCIL
27 SEPTEMBER 1988
BONDWAY HOUSE LONDON SW8 ISJ
3-9 BONDWAY TEL: 01 582 6922
A letter pa Lord Chitnis to the Home Secretary setting our
agencies proposal is expecte today. Ingearked the H.S.
21 SEPTEMBER 1988
it immediately
to copy
ice
to her wrench & myself
receipt
مه
Для
REFUGEE AGENCIES ANNOUNCE PROPOSALS
FOR SETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE
239.88/2
At a press conference next Tuesday (27 September), leading
British refugee agencies will put forward proposals for a
continuation of Britain's resettlement programme for Vietnamese
refugees from Hong Kong.
There are now 25,000 refugees from Vietnam in Hong Kong. 17,000
arrived this year alone. Faced with growing numbers of arrivals
with little hope of resettlement in the West, Hong Kong
introduced a "screening procedure" on 16 June this year. All
arrivals are now screened to distinguish between those who meet
the UN definition of a refugee, and those who do not. Hong Kong
plans to return those who fail to meet the criteria to Vietnam.
"The burden of having so many refugees is clearly unfair on Hong
Kong. It is both inhumane and impractical to hold so many
thousands of people in camps. Britain has to provide a lead to
Western resettlement countries by offering more places here for
the refugees, and by ensuring that proper safeguards exist for
those who are returned to Vietnam" says BRC Director, Martin
Barber. "Our proposals incorporate the lessons learnt from our
·
MORE FOLLOWS...
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.