§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the future of the monks, nuns and priests at present in the Hong Kong refugee camps once repatriated.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 14 December 1989]: No monks, nuns or priests have been screened out as non-refugees. Any who arrived in Hong Kong before 16 June 1988, when screening was introduced, would have been granted refugee status and will be eligible for resettlement in the West. Among those still awaiting screening, the Hong Kong authorities have identified six nuns and four monks, all of them Buddhists, but no priests. When they are screened, such people would have a good claim to refugee status if they can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution on religious grounds. If they are found to merit refugee status, they will then be removed to a refugee camp to await resettlement.