CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 340/4
RECEIV
TELNO 379
OF 051034Z FEBRUARY 91
IND
INFO PRIORITY HKGO LONDON
35
1 GFEB 1991
TOP COPY Q DIST?
YRTELNO 254: BRITISH NATIONALITY CHONG KONG) ACT
36.
013106
MDLIAN 6131
ENTER
1. ALTHOUGH RESPONSE TO THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED SO FAR HAS NOT BEEN AS ENTHUSIASTIC AS WE EXPECTED, IT IS STILL EARLY DAYS TO PASS JUDGEMENT.
2. IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED HAS GONE UP TO 170 A DAY FROM LESS THAN 60 A DAY BETWEEN 1 DECEMBER 1990 AND 21 JANUARY 1991. THE NUMBER OF ENQUIRIES HANDLED BY THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT HOTLINE HAS ALSO INCREASED TO AN AVERAGE OF 380 A DAY IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, COMPARED WITH 190 A DAY PREVIOUSLY. RECENT ENQUIRIES ARE MORE RELATED TO DETAILS IN THE APPLICATION FORM THAN ON GENERALITIES ABOUT THE PACKAGE, AN INDICATION THAT ENQUIRERS ARE PURSUING THEIR APPLICATIONS IN EARNEST.
3. WE REMAIN OF THE VIEW THAT THERE WILL BE A LAST MINUTE RUSH OF APPLICATIONS. WE HAVE HEARD FROM VARIOUS INFORMAL SOURCES THAT POTENTIAL APPLICANTS, KNOWING THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT ON THE BASIS OF FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED, ARE HOLDING BACK THEIR APPLICATIONS UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT. THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT IS MAKING CONTINGENCY PLANS TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION.
4. WHILE WE DO NOT CONSIDER IT APPROPRIATE NOR NECESSARY FOR US TO PROMOTE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATION IN THE NATIONALITY SCHEME, WE HAVE NONETHELESS STEPPED UP PUBLICITY. THE NUMBER OF TV SPOTS FOR FEBRUARY HAS INCREASED TO 120 FOR THE CHINESE CHANNELS AND 80 FOR THE TWO ENGLISH CHANNELS (A 30 PERCENT INCREASE OVER THE NUMBER OF SPOTS), AND QUARTER-PAGE ADVERTISEMENTS WILL BE PLACED IN 8 LEADING CHINESE AND ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS ON 6 AND 21 FEBRUARY, PUBLICISING THE CLOSING DATE AND RECAPITULATING APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND DISTRIBUTION CENTRES FOR APPLICATIONS. IN ADDITION, A TV PROGRAMME ON THE SCHEME TO RE-EMPHASISE DEADLINE, QUALIFYING AGE OF CHILDREN ETC HAS BEEN ARRANGED FOR 10 FEBRUARY 1991. DONALD TSANG HAS ACCEPTED AN INVITATION FROM THE ROTARY
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CONFIDENTIAL