ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of international initiatives on Vietnamese refugees in the personal context of the refugees. The Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong were prisoners of international politics (Knudsen, 1990), and their fate as refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong was intricately interwoven with several international political factors. Prior to 16 June 1988, all the Vietnamese asylum seekers arriving in Hong Kong were automatically given refugee status. However, gradually more North Vietnamese began seeking asylum in Hong Kong. Most Vietnamese refugees detained in the camps felt that they are punished or betrayed by the international community though the refugees from Vietnam attracted several international initiatives unprecedented in the global refugee history. This chapter is divided into two section. Section 1 presents two cases of refugee claim. The first case ‘-Mr Hung’s story’ which was typical of many of refugees detained in Hong Kong camps which was well presented. The second case was presented by a young brother and his sister. Like many other asylum seekers who are not well educated or well versed in English, the case is an example of poorly presented case. Section 2 is a detailed analysis of the international context of various initiatives to deal with the refugee issues in Hong Kong.
