ENG-1988 — Page 281

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immigration, including detecting and apprehending those who managed to reach the urban area. In 1988, some 13 278 illegal immigrants from China were arrested while attempting to enter Hong Kong. A further 7 709, who had evaded the security forces, were later arrested.

The first five months of 1988 saw a steady rise in numbers, with an average of 68 illegal immigrants intercepted daily, an increase of 25 per cent over the same period in 1987. In May 1988, the government introduced a new policy whereby sizeable groups found working in construction sites, restaurants, factories and farms were prosecuted for illegally remaining here.

There has since been a big drop in arrests. The daily average of arrests for June was 47 and July was 32, while the daily average for the year fell to 57. These figures compare with a daily average of 81 for June and 49 for July 1987.

Police action against illegal immigration was maintained, with emphasis on detecting people illegally employed in Hong Kong. A total of 50 persons were prosecuted for assisting illegal immigrants to enter or remain in Hong Kong.

The use of forged Hong Kong Identity Cards remained low, with only 0.03 per cent of illegal immigrants found in possession of such cards compared with 0.04 per cent in 1987.

The new-style identity card, issued in July 1987, has proved difficult to forge and the computerised checking procedures make it possible to identify people who use lost or stolen cards. There were 948 such cases during 1988.

Vietnamese Influx

The problem of the Vietnamese influx continued throughout 1988. As in previous years, most left Vietnam for economic reasons to seek resettlement overseas.

From June 16, all Vietnamese boat people were treated as illegal immigrants unless determined to be refugees under the 1951 UN Convention.

Upon implementation of the policy, all Vietnamese boat people found in Hong Kong waters were warned of the policy and informed that they were free to leave. However, if they elected to stay and were later classified as illegal immigrants they would be detained pending repatriation to Vietnam.

The steady arrival of Vietnamese boat people required a major commitment of resources by the police. These resources were primarily deployed in maintaining an effective maritime screen by the Marine Police, but were also used to provide escorts and to deal with incidents which occurred in the various accommodation centres. During the latter part of the year the police were additionally called upon to open and manage Erskine Camp, a newly-created closed centre for Vietnamese illegal immigrants.

A total of 7 997 Vietnamese refugees, 10 449 Vietnamese boat people and, 942 Ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrants arrived during 1988.

On December 31, the total number of these people stood at 26 601, of which 24 114 were kept in closed centres and 2 487 in open camps. Resettlement accounted for 2 772 and 621 births were recorded.

Traffic

Traffic accidents causing personal injury increased by 1.8 per cent over the previous year. The number of vehicles and their road usage both increased, highlighting yet again the need for positive traffic control and enforcement together with increased effort in the field of road safety education.