World IN BRIEF : HONG KONG : Vietnam, Britain Agree on Migrants
After months of political and financial wrangling, Britain and Vietnam completed an agreement that could force thousands of Vietnamese boat people out of Hong Kong and back to their Communist homeland. The agreement, signed in Hanoi, fleshes out a skeletal pact signed Oct. 29 allowing Hong Kong to deport boat people not granted refugee status. After the October agreement, which applied only to recent arrivals, Hong Kong deported 123 Vietnamese. Now Hong Kong can expel 22,466. An additional 29,562 are waiting to be screened, and about 90% are expected to fail the test--proving they face political persecution.
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