PREAMBLE
1. On 3 August 1993, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, established by the Commission on Human Rights, transmitted to Her Majesty's Government through the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations Office in Geneva three cases of alleged arbitrary detention in Hong Kong. Her Majesty's Government was invited to forward to the Working Group information on the legal basis for their
detention.
BACKGROUND
2. Before providing detailed comments on the three cases of alleged arbitrary detention, it may be appropriate to set out the background to the present policy on the detention of Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong and Illegal Immigration
3. Hong Kong has a total land area of 1,074 sq kms, three quarters of which is unproductive hillside or barren islands. The population is 5.8 million, of which 98% is Chinese. The population density is one of the highest in the world at 5,390 persons per sq km. This compares with 26 per sq km in the USA and 230 in the UK. In one district, Mongkok, the population
density is about 128,000 per sq km.
4. Hong Kong is situated next to the People's Republic of China which has the largest population in the world. The great majority of Hong Kong residents have relatives in China. Because of the significant difference between the standard of living in Hong Kong and China, it is necessary for the Hong Kong Government to maintain strict immigration controls to avoid a massive influx of people from across its border with
China.
Arb.Det
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