§ Lord Swinfenasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the situation regarding Vietnamese migrants.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyOn 12th May the British, Hong Kong and Vietnamese Governments reached agreement on the second phase of the Orderly Repatriation Programme, covering the repatriation from Hong Kong of Vietnamese illegal immigrants —that is, those who under the screening procedures agreed and monitored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have been found not to be refugees.
This second phase agreed in principle last October with Vietnam covers those Vietnamese migrants who were already in Hong Kong on 29th October 1991 when the Orderly Repatriation Programme was announced. Earlier arrangements covered those who 6WA arrived in Hong Kong after that date and those who, having already been repatriated voluntarily, returned to Hong Kong in the hope of collecting a further UNHCR reintegration allowance.
There are still 56,000 Vietnamee migrants in Hong Kong, the vast majority of whom will probably not qualify as refugees. Those who are screened out will be encouraged to return under the UNHCR scheme. We hope most will do so. But inevitably some will not. These will be returned under the Orderly Repatriation Programme.
The Orderly Repatriation Programme is based on the firm principles that nobody whom UNHCR believes to be a refugee will be returned and that no returning migrant will face persecution. The Vietnamese Government has reaffirmed its commitment not to persecute returnees and to facilitate access to them by UNHCR and others to ensure this guarantee is respected.
Since 1988 more than 20,000 Vietnamese migrants have returned home from the region without a single substantiated case of persecution.