Refugees Protest Plans to Return Them to Vietnam
HONG KONG — Thousands of Vietnamese boat people protested for the fifth consecutive day in Hong Kong camps Friday against plans to deport them to Vietnam, a government spokesman said.
More than 8,000 Vietnamese hoisted banners and put up posters in peaceful demonstrations at three camps, including Hong Kong’s largest one at Whitehead, he said.
The protests followed a riot at the Tai A Chau camp Thursday night that was triggered by the arrest of what police called four drunken troublemakers. Police fired 50 canisters of tear gas to break up the brawl, but no injuries were reported.
Last week, Britain and Vietnam agreed on mandatory repatriation for all Vietnamese not deemed genuine refugees eligible for resettlement in the West.
On Friday, more than 60 boat people entered a fifth day of hunger strikes in camps in the British colony. Five have fallen ill and been hospitalized.
More than 55,000 boat people live in cramped camps in Hong Kong. Of 24,700 screened so far, only 3,600 have been ruled genuine refugees rather than economic migrants.
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