TNAG-1908-FCO40-2712-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 106

Text for an Early Day Motion to be tabled by the Officers of the

Conservative Back Bench Committee on Foreign Affairs.

VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN HONG KONG

That this House recognises that the problem of Vietnamese boat

people has now become acute in Hong Kong, with a total population of

Vietnamese immigrants close to 57,000, of whom over 38,000 are

likely to fail to acquire refugee status; notes that the vast

majority of these people have called at one or more ports on the

Chinese coast during the course of their journeys to Hong Kong and

that some of them have travelled most of the way by bus overland,

endorses the Comprehensive Plan of Action adopted in June by the

International Conference on Indo-Chinese Refugees in Geneva,

including the principle that all those determined not to be refugees should return to their country of origin in accordance with

international practices reflecting the responsibilities of states towards their own citizens; recognises that the process of screening

in Hong Kong is thorough, fair and based on internationally accepted

criteria; notes that over 3,500 people have now been determined by

the screening process not to be refugees but, despite a reasonable

period for reflection, have shown very little inclination to

volunteer to return to Vietnam; accepts that, on the basis of

experience so far, a programme of voluntary return alone will not be

sufficient to deal with the scale of the problem; notes that other

western countries, while prepared to take from Hong Kong for

resettlement those who are genuine refugees, are not prepared to

accept non-refugees; and calls on the Foreign Secretary to make

arrangements to return to Vietnam all those who are not refugees,

provided that the Vietnamese Government undertakes not to subject

them to punishment or discrimination and that their treatment on

return to Vietnam is properly monitored.