permission to land and remain in Hong Kong pending
resettlement in countries of second asylum, and are no longer
detained.
61. So far as Hong Kong is concerned, the position in respect of Vietnamese migrants and asylum seekers is one that goes beyond simply detaining illegal immigrants including those claiming asylum pending screening and their return as illegal immigrants.
62. In Hong Kong in 1989 there was a huge influx of persons arriving irregularly from Vietnam. In May 1989, 9,190 arrived this was followed by 9,679 in June 1989. Sometimes more than 1,000 arrived in a twenty-four hour period. Individual consideration of each arrival beyond what is required by S.13D
was quite impossible.
63. The size of the influx also dictated that detention was
necessary to prevent breakdowns in public order. 34,112 arrived in Hong Kong in 1989. The immediate reason was the opening of the Vietnam China border. The perception of the Hong Kong people was of a large number of Vietnamese economic migrants crossing China by land and then sailing a short distance to Hong Kong. At the same time, they perceived that their own relatives and illegal immigrants from neighbouring areas in China were being returned daily to China in large numbers. There have been continued protests from pressure groups representing families suffering considerable hardship as a result of this necessary policy restricting immigration
from China.
64. Such local resentment is illustrated in a speech by a legislative Councillor, The Hon Mr POON Chi-fai, in his
address to the Legislative Council on 5 June 1991: "Sir,
using double standards in dealing with illegal immigrants from Vietnam and those from the Chinese mainland not only is unfair
and unreasonable but also hurts the feelings of our fellow
Arb.Det
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