Last Vietnamese Refugee Camp in Hong Kong Closes
Authorities closed Hong Kong’s last Vietnamese refugee camp Wednesday, ending the quarter-century boat people saga in the Chinese territory and leaving more than 100 people homeless.
At midnight, security guards marched out of the remote camp at Pillar Point before officials pulled the front gate shut and hung a sign announcing its permanent closure.
Hong Kong decided in February to close the camp and give residency to the refugees, some of whom had been awaiting relocation to the West for as long as two decades.
About 1 million people fled Vietnam on foot or by boat after the communist North defeated the U.S.-backed South in 1975.
Hong Kong, then a British colony, gave unconditional temporary asylum to people awaiting resettlement in the West.
After the closure, more than 100 people who said they could not afford to move out remained inside the camp. Officials refused to say what action would be taken.
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