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DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
the rate of resettlement fell. In 1988, 18,000 boat
people arrived in Hong Kong; resettlement amounted to
2,700. By the end of February 1989, there were a total
of some 27,000/boat people in refugee centres in Hong
Kong. The prospect of an indefinite growth in the boat
people population in Hong Kong is a source of great and
mounting concern in the territory. Many Hong Kong people
contrast the treatment of the boat people with that
accorded to illegal immigrants from China, who are
regularly and promptly repatriated. 21,000 illegal
immigrants from China were repatriated in 1988.
26,000 Vietnamese refugees and
46.
During the past few years the pattern of arrivals
in Hong Kong has also changed. About 70 per cent of
recent arrivals are from the northern part of Vietnam and
99% are ethnic Vietnamese (whereas some 80% of arrivals
in 1979 were ethnic Chinese). The great majority are
farmers and fishermen. Many of the resettlement
countries have raised doubts about whether such people
are in fact genuine refugees or simply economic migrants.
They were unwilling to continue accepting boat people at
anything like the previous rate. In these circumstances,
the recent arrivals were coming on the false premise that
they could be resettled from Hong Kong. It was clear
that Hong Kong could no longer be regarded as a staging
post to a future that did not and could not exist.
47. These new circumstances led the Hong Kong
Government, with the full support of the British
Government, to alter their policy. From 16 June 1988,
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