In Search of Asylum: Vietnamese Boat People in Hong Kong
IN SEARCH OF ASYLUM: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, Indochina Resourse Action Center, 1988
102 Pages Posted: 13 Apr 2011
Date Written: 1988
Abstract
This monograph presents the factual and legal situation of Vietnamese boat people detained in Hong Kong in 1988 following the unraveling of a 1979 international agreement between "first asylum" and "resettlement" countries. It examines the conditions of detention, the screening procedures established by the host government to determine refugee status, and the role of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. It analyzes the obligation of non-refoulement recognized under refugee law and rooted in international human rights law, and the extent to which the determination procedures comply with safeguards for due process of law. The book further examines whether the conditions of detention of the asylum seekers are consistent with applicable international human rights law, including UN guidelines providing minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. Recommendations relating to the screening procedure, asylum and repatriation, and conditions of refuge in Hong Kong draw upon the findings of fact and legal conclusions.
JEL Classification: F22, K33, K41, K42
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation