§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese boat people have escaped from Hong Kong detention camps; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 4 May 1990]: In 1989, 2,033 Vietnamese boat people escaped from the camps. The figure so far this year is 2,254. In most cases, the motive for escaping is to visit relatives in other camps or often simply to walk about Hong Kong, rather than to try to escape from the territory. Most of those who escape are returned to their camps.