ACCESSION 
NUMBER:337463

FILE ID:EPF403

DATE:04/07/94

TITLE:DEPUTY AG ON CHINESE IMMIGRANTS, SINGAPORE CASE (04/07/94)

TEXT:*94040703.EPF

*EPF403   04/07/94



DEPUTY AG ON CHINESE IMMIGRANTS, SINGAPORE CASE

(Excerpts: April 7 remarks Jamie Gorelick) (350)

Washington -- Jamie Gorelick, the new Deputy U.S. Attorney General responded

to questions April 7 on Chinese illegal immigrants and on the Michael Fay

caning case in Singapore.



Following is an unofficial transcript of East Asia/Pacific excerpts:

(begin unofficial transcript)

WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING

WITH DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMIE GORELICK

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1994

CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Q:  There's a story in the news about Chinese illegal immigrants being held

ransom.  Do you feel there's enough assets and resources being put into law

enforcement and other aspects of dealing with this problem?



MS. GORELICK:  I think this issue is a critical challenge for us. It

involves our criminal justice and law enforcement assets, it involves our

immigration assets, it involves our intelligence assets. And I think the

critical challenge is to make sure that we are coordinated.  We have

substantial number of assets devoted to issues like that, but we are not

always working together as well as we should, and part of my job is to try

to improve that situation.



SINGAPORE

1: There's been a lot of comment and debate among the media and also the

public about this case of Michael Fay in Singapore, an American teenager

who's been sentenced to a caning.  What's your feeling about this case and

about the punishment?



MS. GORELICK:  I don't really have an educated view on that issue.  I listen

to the talk shows as I come into work like everybody else, and it's quite

interesting to hear the division of views on this issue between people who

feel that the Singapore government has it right and that there should be

the kind of respect for law and order there is there, to a revulsion

against the punishment.  And it's an interesting debate to hear among the

American people.  While it's a fairly extreme case, it's really not unlike

the kinds of discussions that you hear among the American people about the

issue of crime generally.



(end unofficial transcript)

NNNN



.