SOME PAPERS REPORTED THAT UNLIKE LAST YEAR WHEN PEOPLE LINED UP TO OBTAIN THE WHITE PAPER ON THE JOINT DECLARATION, THIS TIME NOT MANY PEOPLE TURNED UP A DISTRICT OFFICES TO GET A COPY OF THE WHITE PAPER ON NATIONALITY.
BBC WORLD SERVICE CARRIED A REPORT THIS MORNING SAYING THAT BRITAIN HAD ANNOUNCED THAT IT PLANNED TO ISSUE A NEW TRAVEL DOCUMENT TO INHABITANTS IN HK FOR USE WHEN THE TERRITORY REVERTED TO CHINESE RULE IN 1997.
IN THE ENGLISH PRESS, BOTH THE SCMP AND THE HK STANDARD PUBLISHED FULL TEXT OF THE WHITE PAPER. THE HKS CARRIED AN EXCEPT OF THE EXCHANGE BETWEEN REPORTERS AND MR JEAFFRESON AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE BN (0) PASSPORT'S LINK WITH THE ID CARD.
PUBLIC REACTION.
SENIOR EXCO UNOFFICIAL SIR S.Y. CHUNG DID NOT EXPECT PROBLEMS AS THE NEW PASSPORT WAS BASED ON THE JOINT DECLARATION. HE SAID CHINA'S CONSENT HAD IN PRINCIPLE BEEN OBTAINED AND ONLY SOME WORDING WERE STILL BEING EXAMINED.
LEGCO UNOFFICIAL PAULINE NG SAID THE NEW PASSPORT WOULD NOT BE OF ANY GREAT VALUE APART FOR TRAVEL OR DOING BUSINESS ABROAD. SHE CALLED ON THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO DO MORE TO EXPLAIN THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS TO THIRD COUNTRIES. SIMILAR SENTIMENTS WERE EXPRESSED BY KOWLOON CITY DB MEMBER NG STU-PANG.
NEWLY- ELECTED LEGCO MEMBER HO SAI-CHU SAID THE PASSPORT WAS JUST A TRAVEL DOCUMENT WHICH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD ALLOW ITS NATIONALS TO HOLD FOR HISTORICAL REASONS.
ANOTHER NEWLY-ELECTED LEGCO MEMBER PANG CHUN-HOT SAID THERE WAS NO SURPRISE IN THE WHITE PAPER AND THE NEW PASSPORT. HE DID NOT AGREE THAT THE CLOSE RERSEMBLANCE OF THE NEW PASSPORT TO THE BRITISH ONE WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR HK TRAVELLERS TO ENTER FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
LAWYER FRANKIE LEUNG SAID NON-CHINESE HK BDTCS MIGHT HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN DECIDING WHETHER TO APPLY FOR A DN(0) OR A FOC PASSPORT AS THE WHITE PAPER DID NOT SPECIFY WHAT THE TWO STATUS ENTAILED.
MAN SAI-CHEONG OF HK AFFAIRS SOCIETY SAID NOT ENOUGH TIME WAS PROVIDED FOR PEOPLE TO DIGEST THE CONTENTS.
URBCO MEMBER HOWARD YOUNG AGREED WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE WHITE PAPER AND SUGGESTED THAT THE NEW PASSPORT NUMBER BE THE SAME AS THE ID CARD NUMBER.
PROFESSOR PETER HARRIS OF HKU DESCRIBED THE PROPOSALS AS TOO COMPLICATED AND WARNED THAT THIS MIGHT LEAD TO CONFUSION IF THIPD COUNTRIES FAILED TO ACCEPT THE NEW PASSPORT. MINORITY
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