Vietnamese people in Hong Kong
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224685897
2008-07-09T23:34:16Z
Gwernol
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Krismanx|Krismanx]] ([[User talk:Krismanx|talk]]) to last version by Wrightbus
Many of the '''Vietnamese people in [[Hong Kong]]''' immigrated as a result of the war and persecution in [[Vietnam]] since the mid-1970s.
Backed by a humanitarian policy of the [[Hong Kong Government]]<ref>{{cite news | first = Donald | last = Cheung | title = Humane refugee policy will continue says official | date = May 27, 1981 | publisher = South China Morning Post | page =1 |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.04/127430.pdf}}</ref>, and under the auspices of the United Nations, a community of Vietnamese, mainly [[Hoa|ethnic Chinese]], were permitted to settle in Hong Kong.
The illegal entry of Vietnamese refugees was a problem which plagued the Hong Kong government for 25 years. The problem was only resolved in 2000. Between 1975 and 1999, 143 700 Vietnamese refugees were resettled in other countries and more than 67 000 Vietnamese migrants were repatriated<ref name="immig">[http://www.immd.gov.hk/40/eng/mil/70s/mil_70s_iv.html The influx of Vietnamese boat people] Immigration Department, Hong Kong Government, Accessed 2 May, 2007</ref>.
==Vietnam War and refugee migration==
===1970s - from a trickle to a flood===
After the [[Vietnam War]] ended in 1975, [[Vietcong]] forces reunited the [[North Vietnam|northern]] and [[South Vietnam|southern]] halves of the country, many people began to flee out of fear of the new [[Politics of Vietnam|Communist Government]]. Many refugees fled across the border into Thailand, whilst others headed by boat to nearby countries, initially Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong<ref name="armada">{{cite news | last = Chang | first = Harold | title = 5,000 on way to HK in Vietnamese armada | date = June 25, 1977 | publisher = [[South China Morning Post]] | page =1 |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.01/127010.pdf
}}</ref>.
Hong Kong received its first wave of Vietnamese refugees on [[4 May]], [[1975]]. A 3,743-strong [[refugee]] group was found hiding on board the Danish freighter ''Clara Mǣrsk'' and were accepted as refugees. Although the Hong Kong Government declared them "[[Illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]]"<ref name="II">{{cite news |title = Govt now calls them illegal immigrants | date = May 23, 1975 | publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]] | url =http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.01/126987.pdf}}</ref>, this arrival marked the start of a wave of refugee migrations to Hong Kong<ref>{{cite news | title = Drive to place 3,750 goes on | date = May 7, 1975 | publisher = South China Morning Post | page =1 |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.01/126980.pdf}}</ref>. Initially, Western governments shirked responsibility for resetling any refugees. In 1976, the Hong Kong Government applied to the [[United Nations High Commission for Refugees]] (UNHCR) for material aid and faster processing of resettlement requests<ref>{{cite news | last = Polin | first = Tom | title = Governor calls on UNHCR to do more | date = May 26, 1976 | publisher = South China Morning Post | page =1 |url =http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.01/126996.pdf}}</ref>. One year later, this first group of refugees, who had been under the responsibility of the Civil Aid Services, were entirely resettled in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong<ref name="war's over">{{cite news | last = Choi | first = Barry | title = War's over at last for last 31 | date = June 25, 1979 | publisher = South China Morning Post | page =1 |url =http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.02/127195.pdf}}</ref>.
In 1979, the [[Vietcong]] started [[ethnic cleansing]] in major cities in Vietnam, causing many Vietnamese to seek refugee status in Hong Kong. Hong Kong declared itself a ''First Port of Refuge''. Soon, the Thai government stopped accepting refugees. Singapore, Malaysia did not allow the refugees to land, thus effectively turning the refugees away<ref name="armada"/>. Hong Kong, with the status of "safe haven", soon became the leading destination. The [[BBC World Service]] spurred the choice by making known Hong Kong's 3-month grace period in which to make resettlement applications to third countries<ref name="gold">{{cite news | last = Chang | first = Harold | title = Vietnam escape trail paved with gold | date = June 26, 1977 | publisher = South China Morning Post | page =1 |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.01/127011.pdf}}</ref>. Hong Kong was also known for its liberal policy of allowing landed refugees the right to work. It was the peak year of arrivals, when more than 68,700 people arrived in Hong Kong<ref name="immig"/>.
===1980s - stemming the tide===
The tide of refugees continued to flow, and in 1980, more than 100,000 Vietnamese sought refugee rights in Hong Kong{{Dubious|date=March 2008}}. At this time, these migrants usually succeeded in gaining refugee status, and were eventually accepted by Western countries.
To deter the influx of refugees, new arrivals from Vietnam were interned in "closed camps" from July 1982 as possibilities for resettlement to third countries dwindled.<ref name="closed camp">{{cite news | first = Donald | last = Cheung | date = June 16, 1982 | publisher = South China Morning Post |title = Exco 'Yes' to closed camps | url = http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.04/127472.pdf}}</ref> These camps were criticised for keeping freedom-seeking people "behind barbed wire".<ref name="barbed wire">{{cite news | last = Chugani | first = Michael | title = Council raps refugee policy |date= December 7, 1984 | publisher = South China Morning Post |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.05/127635.pdf}}</ref>
The United States started imposing stricter entry requirements on refugees in 1982 in a bid to slow the numbers accepted.<ref name="slashed">{{cite news | first = Donald | last = Cheung | date = February 10, 1982 | publisher = South China Morning Post |title = Boat people intake slashed | url = http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.04/127449.pdf}}</ref> The war atrocities were long since over, together with the world-wide recession, came the realisation that the refugees were predominantly economic.<ref>{{cite news |title = A 'Catch-22' situation over refugees | date = June 10, 1983 | publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]] | url =http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.05/127569.pdf}}</ref> Most refugees from Vietnam from about 1984 were part of the "orderly departure scheme" sanctioned by the Vietnamese government.<ref>{{cite news |title = Friendless shore | date = January 28, 1984 | publisher = [[The Economist]] | url =http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.05/127592.pdf}}</ref>
By 1987, many other Western countries had lowering their quotas for Vietnamese refugees whilst the influx into Hong Kong continued to increase, peaking at some 300 a day in 1989,<ref name="sek kong"/> fed by rumours that Vietnamese migrants could gain amnesty simply by landing on Hong Kong soil. The government adopted a [[Comprehensive Plan of Action]] on [[16 June]], [[1988]], separating political refugees (classified as refugees) from economic refugees (classified as "boat people"). Economic refugees were considered illegal immigrants; they were denied the right to be transferred to a third country and were all sent back to Vietnam.
===1990s - orderly repatriations===
In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong government began an orderly repatriation programme. It began as a voluntary programme, but it was poorly received by the Vietnamese migrants, despite an agreement with the Vietnamese government that barred retributions against the migrants upon their return. Eventually, the Hong Kong government decided to forcibly repatriate the Vietnamese [[boat people]]<ref name="forced">{{cite news | last = McKenzie | first = Scott | title = Return trip to reality |date=September 24, 1989 | publisher = South China Morning Post |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.35/132573.pdf}}</ref>.
The Comprehensive Plan of Action was carried out by 1994. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the Hong Kong government began to broadcast a Vietnamese radio announcement in an attempt to deter Vietnamese migrants from making way to Hong Kong. This came to be known as the [[Bắt đầu từ nay]] broadcast.
As the situation in Vietnam improved, and the flow of boat people was stemmed, Hong Kong's status as a ''First Port of Refuge'' was revoked on [[9 January]], [[1998]]. However, until 2000, Hong Kong still issued identity cards to the boat people in Hong Kong in an effort to allow them to assimilate into the society.
===2000s - integration===
In February 2000, the Hong Kong government announced that it would widen the [[Local Resettlement Scheme]] for Vietnamese refugees and migrants, allowing 1,400 refugees and migrants to settle in Hong Kong. The plan applied to 973 refugees that have been stranded in Hong Kong, and 327 migrants whom the Vietnamese government refused to accept. It did not apply to Vietnamese illegal immigrants. While stating that Hong Kong would continue to enforce the policy of repatriating illegal immigrants from Vietnam, then-[[Secretary for Security]] [[Regina Ip]] also commented that "the only effective and durable solution" for the refugees and migrants was "complete integration", and that "Integration is a humanitarian solution, especially for the children of the [refugees] and [migrants] who were born in Hong Kong."<ref name="2000resettlement">{{cite web|url=http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200002/22/0222141.htm|title=Plan to Integrate Vietnamese Refugees and Migrants Announced|publisher=Government of the Hong Kong SAR|date=[[2000-02-22]]|accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref>
==Facilities==
[[Image:Whitehead camp 2008.jpg|thumb|Whitehead camp]]
The first batch of 3,743 refugees in 1975 had been settled in a civilian refugee camp in Chatham Road pending their resettlement. This camp was to be demolished in 1976<ref name="war's over"/>.
Some 2,600 refugees aboard the vessel ''[[Skyluck]]'' which arrived on February 7, 1979 were refused the right to land due to a shortage of facilities, and were kept on board the vessel for over 4 months. The conditions were regarded as being superior to some terrestrial "transit camps"<ref name="hunger">{{cite news |title = 2600 call off hunger strike | date = June 25, 1979 | publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]] | url =http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.02/127161.pdf}}</ref>. On June 29 1979, some refugees cut the anchor chain, causing the 3,500-ton ship to drift into rocks near [[Lamma Island]], and sink.
In June 1979, [[Sham Shui Po Camp|a camp]] was set up on a site adjacent to the [[Sham Shui Po Police Station|Police station]] at [[Sham Shui Po]] (closed March 1981)<ref name="closure">{{cite news | first = Donald | last = Cheung | date = February 12, 1981 | publisher = South China Morning Post |title = Refugee camps continue to close | url = http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.04/127424.pdf
}}</ref>, another was opened at Jubilee (closed November 1980)<ref name="closure"/>; the Government opened the former Argyle Street Army camp to accommodate an estimated 20,000 refugees<ref name="feed">{{cite news | title = $125,000 a day for us to feed refugees| first =Eileen | last =Wong | publisher = South China Morning Post| url= http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.01/127087.pdf |date= May 31, 1979}}</ref>; the Kai Tak East camp was set up to house an estimated 10,000; a 23-storey factory building in [[Tuen Mun]] to house an additional 16,000 was set up<ref name="Tuen Mun">{{cite news | title = 500 move to Tuen Mun | date = June 5, 1979 | publisher = South China Morning Post | url = http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.02/127098.pdf
}}</ref>, temporary facilities were established at the [[Government Dockyard]] and Western Quarantine Anchorage<ref name="feed"/>.
The Chimawan Detention Centre would become the first closed camp after the Government passed the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 1982<ref name="closed camp"/>, set up on July 2. Plans for a second camp, at Hei Long Chau, were initiated at the end of July, shortly after the arrival of 1,523 refugees in the month<ref name="Rush">{{cite news | title = Rush job on closed camp | date = July 29, 1982 | publisher = South China Morning Post | url = http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.04/127484.pdf}}</ref>. Another closed camp was set up in [[Cape Collinson]]<ref name="barbed wire"/>
The Whitehead camp was set up in [[Shatin]] to accommodate 28,000. Later, from June 1989, the runway of the former military airfield at [[Shek Kong Airfield|Sek Kong]] was turned into a holding facility to house an estimated 7,000 refugees, amidst protests from local residents<ref name="sek kong">{{cite news | last = Tam | first = Bonnie | title = Local march to show anger at Viet policy | date = June 18, 1989 | publisher = South China Morning Post |url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.15/129081.pdf}}</ref>. Prior to the [[1997]] handover, the facility reverted to as an airfield and is now used by the [[PLA Air Force]].
==Financial cost==
The Security Branch revealed that, as at January 1983, the total cash outlay due to feeding and accommodating refugees had amounted to HKD270 million, of which 110 was born by Hong Kong, HKD120 million by the UNHCR, and the remainder by international agencies<ref>{{cite news |last = Wong | first = David |title = Cost of housing Viet refugees expected to soar | date = February 3, 1983 | publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]] | url = http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.05/127515.pdf}}</ref>.
The [[United Nations]] owed Hong Kong HK$1.61 billion for its handling of Vietnamese boat people<ref name="debt">{{cite news | last = Cheung | first = Carmen |title = HK chasing $1.6b debt from UN |date=August 25, 1998 | publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]] | url =http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=40740&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19980825&sear_year=1998
}}</ref>, still outstanding as of 2006.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{portal Hong Kong}}
*[http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/facts_7.htm Facts and Statistics: Vietnamese Refugees]
{{Hong Kongers}}
{{Overseas Vietnamese}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Kong}}
[[Category:Hong Kong society]]
[[Category:People of Vietnamese descent]]
[[Category:Vietnamese diaspora]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Vietnamese migration]]
[[vi:Người Việt ở Hồng Kông]]
[[zh:越南人在香港]]