SPEAKING NOTE
Mr. Mans.
Than you
HKD
EX-CHINA VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
4 AUG 199
Mr Marshalls
Thulas e fa. Пиви
5/8 من
On
QJuly,
He
Mr Goodlad raised with you the question of Ex-China
Vietnamese Illegal Immigrants arriving in Hong Kong. explained that if the recent surge of arrivals continued, this would create serious problems. He asked the Chinese Government to agree urgently to accept back those Ex-China Vietnamese Illegal Immigrants who had already arrived. He also proposed new arrangements for handling such cases, to allow the rapid return of subsequent new arrivals.
That was nearly three weeks ago. Meanwhile, the surge of arrivals has not merely continued but intensified. Since the present influx started on 25 June, 2,166 Ex-China Vietnamese
jetn Illegal Immigrants have reached Hong Kong, with 209 arriving in a single day on 29 July. Some of the most recent arrivals have
said that they decided to set off after hearing that those who had gone to Hong Kong were not being sent back.
On July, the Chinese Government announced that Ex-China Vietnamese Illegal Immigrants who had previously been settled in
China would be taken back as soon as possible. This is a welcome restatement of Chinese policy, as far as it goes. But it will
not help to solve the immediate problem. There is no sign that
it has had any effect on the arrival rate. Indeed, as the worrying statements by new arrivals confirm, the only effective
deterrent is for those who reach Hong Kong to be returned
forthwith to China.
I therefore urge you to agree without further delay to our
proposals. In particular, whatever arrangements we decide upon for speeding up the handling of future arrivals, we believe it is
essential to begin returning those already in Hong Kong
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.