Hong Kong could be asked to absorb more than 1,000 Vietnamese refugees following the failure of repeated attempts to find homes for them overseas.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) yesterday hinted local integration might be the only realistic solution left.
UNHCR chiefs said they hoped to close Pillar Point refugee camp this year.
But they now only expect 150 of the remaining 1,300 plus refugees to be accepted by other governments.
The admission comes on the eve of provisional legislator Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee's call today to end Hong Kong's status as a port of first asylum.
Many of the stranded refugees have been rejected by third countries because of criminal convictions or drug histories.
Local integration has been considered a last resort because of its unpopularity.
