ENG-1993 — Page 480

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POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION

awaiting screening. Those screened out have the right to have their cases reviewed by an independent Refugee Status Review Board (RSRB). UNHCR officials are involved in monitoring the screening process and in preparing cases for review by the board. To speed up the pace of refugee status determination, additional resources were injected into the screening process during the year. Over 100 immigration officers, 65 temporary Vietnamese interpreters and six RSRB panels are now engaged in screening work.

Since the introduction of screening in June 1988, 6 212 people have been screened in as refugees and 50 858 have been screened out. At the review stage, in 18 532 cases involving 38 555 persons, the first instance decision has been upheld, and in 932 cases involving 2 417 people, it has been reversed. The UNHCR has determined 1 134 people to be refugees under its own mandate.

The resettlement of refugees continued satisfactorily in 1993. During the year, 2 571 refugees were resettled overseas, with Canada, Australia, and the United States remaining the three major resettlement countries. The figure includes the 937 refugees who left Hong Kong for the Regional Refugee Transit Centre in Bataan.

The cost of looking after the Vietnamese migrants and refugees in Hong Kong amounted to $1,209 million in 1993. The Hong Kong Government met $1,014 million of this cost. The United Kingdom Government contributed $76 million specifically for the UNHCR's programme in Hong Kong. The UNHCR agreed to meet $195 million of the 1993 cost, but at the end of the year, it had yet to repay the Hong Kong Government an outstanding debt of $870 million accumulated since 1989.

In view of the gradual reduction in the size of the camp population, the Shek Kong Detention Centre was closed in January. The Lo Wu Camp, which was previously used as a departure centre for migrants awaiting voluntary return to Vietnam, was closed in May. The Hei Ling Chau Detention Centre was also closed in October.

While there was a gradual reduction in the Vietnamese population in Hong Kong camps, Hong Kong faced the sudden influx of 2 389 ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrants (ECVIIS) in the middle of the year. The ECVIIs are those Vietnamese migrants who were previously resettled in China before their arrival in Hong Kong. Once they have sought and obtained asylum in China, they have no further claim to refugee status or resettlement. The ECVIIS are therefore regarded as illegal immigrants and are repatriated upon confirmation of their previous residency in China. Following discussion with the Chinese Government, agreement was reached with China in August to repatriate all the ECVIIs stranded in Hong Kong camps. The repatriation process was carried out by air for the first time and by land. At the end of the year, 1 514 ECVIIS — aside from those whose identities had yet to be verified by the Chinese authorities had returned to China.

Hong Kong is still faced with a major humanitarian problem in trying to care for over 31 097 people in Vietnamese detention and refugee centres. However, an end to the problem is now in sight. Given the existing arrival and departure trends, which are expected to continue, the aim is to close all the camps by 1996.

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