World Notes HONG KONG

Long dreaded and long delayed, the forced repatriation of Hong Kong's 44,217 Vietnamese boat people is about to begin. The U.S. opposes the new policy on humanitarian grounds, at least until conditions in Viet Nam change for the better. But the British government, convinced that less stringent policies will not stop the flow of illegal immigrants to the crown colony, is determined to go ahead. Under the plan, the British and Hong Kong governments will reportedly provide about $620 in cash for each deportee, or a total of $27 million if all who are currently in the colony are sent home.

For those subject to forced repatriation, the plan will seek to set up a monitoring system to ensure that they are not punished by the Vietnamese government. But that was small comfort for one group of boat people in Hong Kong, who hung from their windows a banner reading, WE WOULD RATHER DIE HERE THAN GO BACK TO VIET NAM.