Pact Signed on Repatriating Vietnamese in Hong Kong

Britain and Vietnam signed an accord in Hanoi to repatriate from Hong Kong all Vietnamese “boat people” who are found not to be political refugees, Alistair Asprey, Hong Kong’s secretary for security, said Tuesday.

“This understanding brings into effect an orderly return program, which will apply initially to all new arrivals found to be illegal immigrants, and then subsequently to all other Vietnamese illegal immigrants already in (Hong Kong) detention centers,” he said.

Vietnam reportedly will get up to $1,000 for every individual who returns, a factor that apparently eased Hanoi’s earlier opposition to the plan. Asprey said the European Community and the British government will put up the money, which will be used for development projects and low-interest loans to businesses. In return, Vietnam has promised not to “persecute or harass” returnees, Asprey said.

Vietnamese officials claim that the signing of the deal hinges on Washington’s assurance that talks on the normalization of relations between Vietnam and the United States would not be delayed. The officials said that, if the United States lifts its 26-year-old economic embargo on Vietnam, that would boost the aid for returning boat people and dissuade them from leaving.

The first group to be singled out and forcibly sent home in November will be “double-backers,” those who have returned to Vietnam once voluntarily, then returned to Hong Kong.

Many in Hong Kong believe that many of the Vietnamese left their homeland simply to receive cash payments under a United Nations incentive plan for refugees. Under that plan, returnees receive an allowance of up to $360.

But of the 64,000 people now in detention centers in Hong Kong, only about 200 are classified as “double-backers.” Under U.N. guidelines, about 5,000 have qualified as refugees seeking political asylum. Almost 20,000 have been identified as economic refugees and thus illegal immigrants.

Asprey said that Vietnamese still arriving in Hong Kong or awaiting screening still will get the chance to prove that they fled Vietnam to escape political persecution.

“The normal screening procedure will apply. People will be advised of the procedure. (U.N. officials) will have access to all the screening interviews. People will be given legal assistance,” he said. But a new “fast-track” screening process will be introduced, he said, adding that new arrivals denied refugee status could be repatriated within five to six weeks.