$837m lent to UN for care of Viets
A TOTAL of $837 million had been lent to the United Nations for the handling of Vietnamese refugees by the end of October, according to the Secretary for Security, Alistair Asprey.
Speaking at the Legislative Council yesterday, Mr Asprey said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had not been able to set out a timetable for repayment of the money to the Hong Kong Government.
During the current year, the Government is expected to spend about $1 billion on taking care of refugees.
The detention cost for the Correctional Services Department and the police would be $540 million and $70 million respectively.
Another $170 million would be spent on status determination, and medical services in the camp would cost up to $52 million.
Mr Asprey admitted the need to seek international support. Appeals would be made in a meeting of the steering committee of the Comprehensive Plan of Action in Geneva in 1994.
