The
quarter-century saga of boat people in Hong Kong ends at midnight
Wednesday, as the government prepares to close down the last
Vietnamese refugee camp on the Chinese island.
The government decided to close the camp and give residency to
the Vietnamese refugees for humanitarian reasons.
Many of the refugees have children born in Hong Kong, as some
have been in the camp for more than two decades, waiting to be
relocated to the West.
Throughout the day, refugees moved TV sets, refrigerators,
stereos, and bags of clothes out of Pillar Point, the remote camp of
bleak-looking barracks.
History of the boat people
After the communists won in Vietnam in 1975, about one million
Vietnamese tried to escape political persecution and poverty by
fleeing to neighbouring countries on foot or by boat.
Hong Kong, then a British colony, gave unconditional temporary
asylum to those waiting to move to the West.
A handful of refugees were stuck in Hong Kong, their criminal
records or drug problems preventing them entry into other countries.
Others had nowhere to go because the government could not prove
their identity.
Nowhere to go
About 150 refugees say they will refuse to move by midnight
unless the government gives them housing and money to survive. The
refugee camp provided free housing since 1982.
Many make meagre earnings by doing odd jobs. They will face many
challenges in an affluent society that is often seen as
discriminatory to immigrants.
The government has given some families moving allowances. Others
received additional housing and welfare benefits.
Officials say those who refuse to leave will not get any more
aid. They didn't say if they would use force to remove the remaining
refugees.
