Protestants. Buddhists punished for religious observance. and others who served time in reeducation camps or new economic zones for their anticommunist views or activities. Despite the strength of their claim to refugee status. almost all of these people are scheduled for repatriation to Vietnam and Laos within the next few months under a scheme known as the comprehensive plan of action. I suppose the comprehensive plan of action [CPA] was intended as a sincere effort to deal humanely with the Vietnamese boat people. Unfortunately. it has turned out to be just the opposite. First. the responsibility for deciding who is and who is not a refugee. which used to be done by United States and U.N. refugee interviewers. was transferred to local immigration officials who had no real experience or training. Big mistake. Some of the interviewers were not only incompetent but also corrupt. There are welldocumented instances of local officials demanding money and sexual favors from refugees as a condition of favorable screening. And to the surprise of no one. almost nobody now is a refugee. The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights visited and did indepth analysis of the refugee process in Hong Kong. Their conclusion. after looking over several hundred cases. was the following: The entire screening process and review procedures remain seriously flawed. The process remains hostile to genuine refugees. Several international standards were ignored. Hundreds. perhaps thousands. of Vietnamese refugees have been wrongly rejected. Because of unfair screening and defective screening. Mr.
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refugees refugee immigration