FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 1981
POPULATION GROWTH SLOWS DOWN
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THE ESTIMATED POPULATION OF HONG KONG AT THE END OF JUNE 1981 WAS 5 154 100, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY).
THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON THE FINAL RESULTS OF THE 1981 POPULATION CENSUS, TOGETHER WITH DATA ON BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MIGRATION. COMPARED WITH THE REVISED END-1980 POPULATION ESTIMATE, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE OF 34 304 OR 0.7 PER CENT. THE SLOWER RATE OF INCREASE WAS DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE LEVEL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA, AS A RESULT OF THE ABOLITION OF THE REACHED-BASE POLICY.
NET IMMIGRATION, THAT IS THE BALANCE OF TOTAL ARRIVALS OVER TOTAL DEPARTURES, WHICH HAS BEEN THE MAJOR FACTOR IN POPULATION GROWTH OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, ACCOUNTED FOR ONLY 7 572 PERSONS OR 22.1 PER CENT OF THE GROWTH.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BIRTHS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1981 WAS 39 222. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS WAS 12 490, NATURAL INCREASE, THAT IS THE BALANCE OF BIRTHS OVER DEATHS, AMOUNTED TO A GAIN OF 26 732, OR 77.9 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION GROWTH IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1981, AND THUS BECAME THE DOMINANT FACTOR IN TOTAL POPULATION GROWTH.
OBE FOR DR S.F. LAM
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THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, DR LAM SIM-FOOK, HAS BEEN APPOINTED AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE) BY THE QUEEN.
DR LAM FIRST JOINED THE GOVERNMENT SERVICE AS A MEDICAL OFFICER IN 1957.
HE WAS APPOINTED A SPECIALIST (ORTHOPAEDICS) IN 1964, A CONSULTANT IN 1973 AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR IN 1977.
HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND RESPECTED IN HIS OWN FIELD OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY, HE HAS ALSO PROVED HIMSELF CAPABLE AS AN ADMINISTRATOR IN THE DEPARTMENT AND HIS CONTRIBUTION IN 1979, AT A TIME OF CONSIDERABLE INDUSTRIAL ACTION AND UNREST ON THE PART OF NURSING AND OTHER STAFF, WAS INVALUABLE IN RESTORING A SENSE OF ORDER.
HE IS VERY ACTIVE PROFESSIONALLY ON A LARGE NUMBER OF STATUTORY AND OTHER MEDICAL AND HOSPITAL BOARDS BUT ALSO FINDS TIME FOR EXTRA-OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY WORK, INCLUDING THE BRITISH RED CROSS, THE SOCIETY FOR THE REHABILITATION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, THE SPORTS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, THE HONG KONG ARCHERY ASSOCIATION AND THE HONG KONG AMATEUR SPORTS FEDERATION AND OLYMPIC COMMITTEE.
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