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8. UNHCR has agreed to manage and meet the running costs of a new centre to accommodate all 16,00. boat people who arrived before 16 June and post-16 June arrivals who are accorded refugee status. Hong Kong Government hope that UNHCR will also meet some of the costs of accommodating those screened and those arrivals waiting to
be screened.
Voluntary Repatriation
9. About 160 boat people have asked to be repatriated to Vietnam. This is an encouraging figure, much higher than the very small numbers who volunteered prior to the introduction of the new policy. We hope that early progress can be made on the repatriation of these
volunteers. This will act as
as a deterrent to those thinking of
setting out from Vietnam and may encourage more new arrivals to
volunteer.
Conditions in the boat people centres
10. There has been some criticism of the conditions in which some
of the Vietnamese boat people are held. The Hong Kong Government
are conscious of the problems, which have arisen as a result of the huge increase in numbers of boat people arriving in Hong Kong this year, and intend to introduce improvements when possible. The situation is particulary acute in San Yick, a converted factory which houses about 4,000 "refugees": there is no obvious short term
solution here other than progressive liberalistion, but the Hong
Kong Government are considering a scheme for removing the current residents to alternative accommodation by the end of this year
(prior to resiting them to the new centre which will house all
"refugees").
Allegations of ill-treatment of boat people at Hei Ling Chau
11. There have been allegations of ill-treatment of Vietnamese
boat people following disturbances at the Hei Ling Chau centre,
which accommodates some of the post 16 June arrivals. The allegations emerged in cables from the local UNHCR representative
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