LEGISLATORS decided to continue their support for the first asylum policy despite rising fears Hong Kong will forever be saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the thousands of Vietnamese boat people in the territory.
They voted two-to-35 against an amendment by Alfred Tso Siu-wai to Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee's motion. Mr Tso urged the administration immediately to drop the policy, under which boat people are not turned away.
Moving the motion, Mrs Chow said the Government should close all boat people centres by the end of next year and should not change the illegal immigrant status of the boat people.
She also called on the British Government to take in all the boat people rejected by the Vietnamese Government.
Mrs Chow asked whether the release of the 125 boat people to open camps and subsequent rumours that another 5,000 boat people would be released was to pave the way for the British Government to renege on its promise that the problem would be solved before 1997.
Mr Tso said residents living near the boat people camps had long suffered the nuisances caused by the Vietnamese.
The solution to the problem, which was a time bomb, was to do away with the first asylum policy. He asked who would dare to guarantee the 23,000 boat people would not become local residents.
