Refugee officials are puzzled over a new wave of Vietnamese immigrants from China's rapidly expanding Guanxi province.
The last significant departures from the province were in 1993 when provincial authorities bulldozed the makeshift homes of thousands of people to make way for a development.
Most of the 2,383 people who arrived then have been repatriated, but 296 remain pending the outcome of a Privy Council case to be heard in London next month which challenges the legality of detaining and refusing to screen the applicants. Vietnamese arrivals from China are treated as illegal immigrants and are not screened for refugee status.
The Government confirmed that by Friday, 46 people had arrived this year, 24 of them last month: far more than the 12 who arrived last year and the 17 in 1994.
Despite no immediate reason being obvious for the arrival, the Australian and Indonesian governments have also reported recent arrivals, also from Guangxi.
On top of the ex-China Vietnamese arrivals, Hong Kong is experiencing another influx of people from northern Vietnam who instead of seeking asylum are looking for employment.
Sixty-five arrived in May and 12 were detained in the first week of this month bringing the total number of arrivals for the year to 174.
