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164351 MUTTAN 0565
Is that his
final offer?!
MIGHT BE ATTRACTED FROM THE REGION. THE GOVERNMENT THEN MOVED THE GOAL POSTS A NUMBER OF TIMES, SPECIFYING FIRST US DOLLARS 35,000 AND SUBSEQUENTLY US DOLLARS 25,000 AS THE PRICE OF CITIZENSHIP, AND THEN SAYING THAT THE MONEY WOULD BE REFUNDABLE AFTER BEING HELD ON DEPOSIT AT 5 PER CENT FOR 5 YEARS. FUJIMORI WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE COST COULD VARY AS THE RESULT OF
'MARKET PRESSURES'.
4.
LOCAL
THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN HONG KONG APPOINTED A FIRM WITH AT LEAST ONE SHAREHOLDER OF LATIN ORIGINS, BLOOMING
d notorious STRONG DEVELOPMENT LTD, TO ACT AS ITS AGENTS. BLOOMING STRONG fame PLACED A NUMBER OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS,
PROMOTING THE PACKAGE NOT AS A DEVELOPMENT DEAL FOR PERU, BUT AS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO STAY ON IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997 WITHOUT HAVING TO BECOME CHINESE CITIZENS, AND AS A MEANS OF TRAVEL TO À NUMBER OF SPECIFIED COUNTRIES (INCLUDING THE UK) WITHOUT THE NEED TO OBTAIN A VISA. BLOOMING STRONG MAINTAINED THAT THEY HAD A CONTRACT APPOINTING THEM THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT'S SOLE AGENTS, AND THAT PERUVIAN CITIZENSHIP OBTAINED THROUGH OTHER CHANNELS WAS ILLEGAL'.
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5. THE CCD'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE BECAME UNDERSTANDABLY AGITATED ABOUT THIS AND CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO CANCEL ITS CONTRACT WITH BLOOMING STRONG. PRIME MINISTER DE LA PUENTE HAS SO FAR REFUSED TO DO SO, IN SPITE OF CALLS FROM OPPOSITION MEMBERS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SPECIAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY.
GIVEN THE STRANGE WAY IN WHICH LUIS SILVA SANTESTEBAN WAS APPOINTED TO HONG KONG, IT IS PROBABLE THAT THE LINK WITH BLOOMING STRONG WAS APPROVED BY THE PRESIDENCY AS A QUICK WAY OF MEETING ITS 'INVESTMENT', IF NOT ITS IMMIGRATION GOALS. THE WEEKLY PRESS IN PARTICULAR (NO FRIENDS OF FUJIMORI) WILL CONTINUE TO USE BLOOMING STRONG'S METHOD'S AS A WAY OF ATTACKING THE PRESIDENT. BUT I IMAGINE THAT EVENTUALLY THE AFFAIR WILL BURN ITSELF OUT AS THESE THINGS TEND TO DO IN PERU.
7. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE PERUVIAN MAN IN THE STREET SEES NOTHING WRONG IN GIVING RESIDENCE TO FOREIGN INVESTORS. OVER 60 PER CENT OF THOSE POLLED RECENTLY LIKED THE IDEA. EVEN SELLING PERUVIAN NATIONALITY FOR CASH WAS SUPPORTED BY 27.5 PER CENT OF THOSE ASKED.
SIGNED.. RUSSELL THOMSON
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