Boatpeople in HK reduced to 20,000

Boatpeople in HK reduced to 20,000

HONG KONG (AFP): The number of Vietnamese boatpeople in Hong Kong detention camps has dropped to less than 20,000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said yesterday.

UNHCR said the number has dropped to 19,293, down 55 percent from 42,717 in 1992. Since March 1989 some 46,655 Vietnamese have left voluntarily under UNCHR-organized schemes. So far, 765 have left this year, with another batch leaving Friday.

Faced with China's demand that all boat people be cleared from Hong Kong's camps before the colony returns to China next year, the government started forced repatriations, which triggered rioting and fierce resistance from inmates.

The protests have reportedly prompted several airlines, including Continental Micronesia, Royal Brunei and Cathay Pacific, to turn down the job of flying the reluctant returnees home for fear of bad publicity.