On 16 June 1988, the Government of Hong Kong introduced a new refugee screening policy. Under the policy, all refugees will be treated as illegal immigrants and detained and interviewed to determine whether they qualify as refugees. If they do qualify by showing that they left their country of origin because of a "well-founded fear of prosecution," they are to be moved to refugee camps where they can apply for resettlement. If they do not qualify, they are to be held in closed detention centers for repatriation to their country of origin. The purpose of the policy is to deny refugee status to persons who are leaving their homeland for largely economic reasons. full text

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legislation law refugee population Migrants demography developing country Population Dynamics Developing Countries Refugees Asia Far East Eastern Asia Residence Characteristics spatial distribution geography Refugees--legal aspects Article migration Geographic Factors Demographic Factors Refugee Camps--legal aspects Hong Kong Emigration and Immigration Transients and Migrants