ENG-1994 — Page 506

POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION

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During the year, 71 748 live births and 30 106 deaths were registered, compared with 71 799 and 30 225, respectively, in 1993. The figures, when adjusted for under-registration, gave a natural increase in population for 1994 of about 42 210 (0.7 per cent).

A birth which has not been registered within one year may be post-registered with the consent of the Registrar of Births and Deaths, on payment of a fee of $400. During the year, 307 births were post-registered.

Birth registration services in the urban areas are provided by two main registries, on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. There are also five birth registries in the rural areas. In the outlying areas and islands, births are normally registered at rural committee offices by visiting district registrars. Visiting services are also provided to register the births of babies born in detention centres to Vietnamese migrants (717 in 1994).

There are two death registries, on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. Deaths in the rural areas are registered at local police stations.

Establishment and Training

At the end of the year, the department had an establishment of 3 534 disciplined staff 32 (0.9 per cent) more than in 1993. Its civilian staff numbered 2 269, compared to 2 109 in 1993. A total of 206 immigration assistants were recruited in 1994.

The department provides training for both new and serving officers. Recruits undergo a 12-week induction course which covers law, immigration policies and procedures, foot- - -drills, physical training, swimming, first-aid and practical attachments. As part of the career development programme, in-service and specialised training are also provided within the department and in outside organisations.

During the year, 157 recruits completed their induction training. A further 2 265 serving officers received various types of job-related, management, development and other continuation training. Of these, 14 were selected to go on overseas attachments and courses of training.

Vietnamese Migrants

The Vietnamese migrant population in Hong Kong camps continued to decline in 1994, During the year, only 363 Vietnamese migrants arrived in Hong Kong, while 7 443 were either settled overseas or repatriated to Vietnam. The corresponding figures for 1993 were 101 and 15 322, respectively.

The Hong Kong Government's policy towards Vietnamese migrants is based on the Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA), which was endorsed by the international community at the Geneva Conference held in June 1989. The CPA provides that while those Vietnamese migrants who are classified as refugees under the terms of the 1951 United Nations Convention and 1967 Protocol are eligible for resettlement, those who are found not to be refugees should return to Vietnam. In October 1991, agreement was reached with the Vietnamese Government on the orderly repatriation of all Vietnamese migrants found to be non-refugees. A total of 1 175 persons have since been returned to Vietnam under this programme. The momentum of the voluntary repatriation programme organised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was maintained during the course of 1994. In August, the British Government agreed to the introduction of a special allowance for the Vietnamese migrants who volunteered to return to Vietnam before the end