ENG-1988 — Page 388

POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION

331

The Hong Kong Government was able to participate in bilateral discussions between the British Government and the Vietnamese Government on the repatriation of Vietnamese boat people.

The first round of discussions was held in Hanoi in August. Although this first round of talks was essentially exploratory, useful progress was made on some points of principle. Further progress was made during the second round of discussions in London in October where it was agreed that an immediate start should be made on the repatriation of those who have already applied to return.

Hong Kong also took part in informal consultations convened by the UNHCR with a view to identifying a comprehensive solution to the problem of the Indo-Chinese asylum seekers in the region. Other participants included representatives of Vietnam, other first-asylum countries faced with a similar problem of migrating Vietnamese boat people and the major resettlement countries.

With the 621 babies born during the year, the number of Vietnamese refugees, Vietnamese illegal immigrants and the unscreened Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong at the end of 1988 totalled 15 253, 513 and 9 882 respectively. Among the 15 253 refugees, 12 766 were in closed centres and 2 487 in the open centre.

Refugees who arrived in Hong Kong before July 1982, were placed in the Kai Tak Transit Centre. There were 2 487 refugees living in this open centre at the end of 1988. Few restrictions were imposed on those who lived in the open centres, and they all enjoyed free movement inside and outside the centre. The refugees were allowed to take up temporary employment to support themselves and their families. More than 700 of the refugees have been living in the open centre for over eight years.

Refugees who arrived in Hong Kong after July 1982, continue to be detained in closed centres. In the closed centres, the refugees are not allowed to seek outside employment, and their movement is restricted within the boundaries of the centres. However, a full-range of services such as social, educational and recreational services and skills and adult language training programmes is provided in the centres by voluntary agencies funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Hong Kong Government.

Since Hong Kong adopted the new screening policy in June 1988, the deterrent effect of the 1982 closed centre policy was no longer necessary. The new deterrent is the process of screening and the denial of automatic refugee status to those arriving on or after June 16, 1988. In September 1988, the government announced the gradual liberalisation of the closed centres to be substantially completed by March 1989. An open centre at Pillar Point in Tuen Mun district will also be completed around June 1989.

Of the total number of refugees in the centres, 2 755 left during the year for resettlement elsewhere, while 17 chose to accept resettlement in Hong Kong. The resettlement figure was the second lowest of all annual resettlement figures since 1979.

As in previous years, the three major resettlement countries were Canada, the United States and Australia, all of which continued to provide an ongoing programme for resettling Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong. The United Kingdom had agreed in May 1987 to resettle 468 refugees from Hong Kong, spread over two years, under relaxed family reunion criteria. Having accepted 156 refugees in 1987, the United Kingdom accepted 205 by the end of 1988. As part of an international effort to lessen the refugee problem in Hong Kong, Hong Kong itself had agreed in 1987 to accept 250 Vietnamese refugees of Chinese origin from the open centre for local resettlement, at the rate of 20 per month. However, the scheme met with little response from the refugees. So far only 115 refugees have taken advantage of this resettlement offer by Hong Kong. Of the other countries accepting