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PEKING WAS IN FIRM CONTROL OF THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE AND THE
LACK OF CLEAR-CUT GUIDELINE ON WHAT IMPORTANCE THE BLCC WOULD GIVE
TO LOCAL VIEWS.
4.
WHILST PRESS COMMENTARIES CONTINUED TO FOCUS ON THE MAJOR AREAS OF CONTROVERSY SUCH AS THE JURISDICTION OF THE SAR COURTS, THE APPLICATION OF NATIONWIDE STATUTES, THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BL, THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ECONOMIC ISSUES, INTEREST IN
THE FUTURE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE NATIONALITY ISSUES BEGAN TO
EMERGE. LEGCO MEMBER ANDREW WONG SAID THAT DETAILS ON THE FORMATION
OF THE FIRST SARG WERE SUBJECT TO FURTHER DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE
CHINESE AND THE BRITISH SIDES NEARER 1997 AND SHOULD NOT BE LAID
DOWN SO FAR IN ADVANCE IN THE BL. SING PAO WARNED THAT THE PROPOSED
ELECTION COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTINV UP THE FIRST SARG WOULD
BE TOO POWERFUL AND WOULD RESULT IN AN ELITIST GOVERNMENT. ON
NATIONALITY, THE QUESTION OF HK CHINESE HOLDING FOREIGN PASSPORTS AND THE EXPATRIATES' RIGHT OF PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN THE SAR WERE
ATTRACTING ATTENTION. LEE YU OF WEN WEI PO CONCEDED THAT SOME OF THE
DEFINITIONS OF SAR PERMANENT RESIDENTS IN THE BL WERE TOO LAX.
VISIT
5. THERE CONTINUED TO BE SOME SPECULATION THAT THE BL WOULD BE
RAISED DURING JI PENFEI'S VISIT AND THAT OF VICE PREMIER, TIAN JIYUN.
THE ARRIVAL OF A GROUP OF SIX CHINESE STATE COUNCIL OFFICIALS LED BY
ZHENG WEIRONG FOR A FAMILIARISATION VISIT AT HKG'S INVITATION WAS
WELL COVERED AND WAS SEEN AS ENABLING THEM TO OBTAIN FIRST-HAND
KNOWLEDGE OF THE OPERATION OF HKG. TAK KUNG PAO REPORTED THAT THE CHINESE WOULD ALSO BE INVITING HKG OFFICIALS TO VISIT PEKING ΤΟ
ENHANCE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.
E MIGRATION
6.
EMIGRATION REMAINED A TALKING POINT. THE GOVERNOR SAID IN AN
INTERVIEW WITH THE INDEPENDENT THAT HKG HAD NO INTENTION TO RESTRICT
THE FREEDOM OF TRAVEL, BUT IT WOULD ENDEAVOUR TO SECURE A BUOYANT ECONOMY AND AN ATTRACTIVE LIFESTYLE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REMAIN
HERE OR TO RETURN AFTER EMIGRATION. ZHOU NAN SAID IN AN INTERVIEW
WITH THE OUTLOOK WEEKLY THAT THE EMIGRATION TREND REFLECTED THE
UNSTABLE STATE OF MIND OF SOME HK PEOPLE. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT
EMI GRANTS WOULD RETURN WHEN THEY REALISED THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL
OF THE TERRITORY. ZHOU POINTED OUT THAT IN SPITE OF THE OUTFLOW OF FUNDS, HK DID NOT SUFFER FROM A SHORTAGE OF INVESTMENTS. A SURVEY CARRIED OUT AMONG SOME SENIOR RANKING CIVIL SERVANTS INDICATED A
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