FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1983
OLD ID CARDS TO BECOME INVALID
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THE OLD IDENTITY CARDS ISSUED TO MALE RESIDENTS BORN BETWEEN 1964 AND 1960 WILL BE DECLARED INVALID AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (FRIDAY).
THESE WILL BE THE FIRST LOT OF OLD ID CARDS TO BE INVALIDATED SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW ID CARD ISSUE SCHEME.
A DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN WARNED THAT ANYONE IN THE ABOVE AGE GROUPS FOUND TO BE HOLDING AN OLD ID CARD AFTER IT HAS BECOME INVALID IS BOUND TO SUFFER INCONVENIENCE AND MAY EVEN BE LIABLE TO PROSECUTION.
HE SAID THAT THESE AGE GROUPS HAD BEEN GIVEN AMPLE TIME TO CHANGE THE IR OLD CARDS FOR NEW ONES DURING VARIOUS PHASES OF THE SCHEME.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID: +ACCORDING TO OUR RECORDS, MORE THAN 300 000 OUT OF AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 313 800 MEN WITHIN THESE AGE BRACKETS HAVE APPLIED FOR NEW ID CARDS, LEAVING AN OUTSTANDING FIGURE OF ABOUT 5 000.+
→APART FROM THOSE WHO ARE BELIEVED TO BE AWAY FROM HONG KONG, THE REST ARE ADVISED TO VISIT THE EIGHT ISSUE OFFICES DURING THE CURRENT PHASE ENDING ON OCTOBER 29,+ HE SAID.
THESE OFFICES ARE OPEN BETWEEN 8 AM AND 9.30 PM, MONDAYS TO SATURDAYS.
THOSE WHO ARE AWAY FROM HONG KONG AND WILL NOT BE BACK BEFORE THE DEADLINE SHOULD APPLY WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THEIR RETURN.
THE SPOKESMAN ALSO REMINDED EMPLOYERS THAT UNDER THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO UPDATE THE RECORDS OF THE IR EMPLOYEES AND NOTE DOWN THE IR NEW IDENTITY CARD NUMBERS.
+ANY EMPLOYER WHO IS NOT SURE OF HOW TO GO ABOUT IT MAY SEEK ADVICE FROM THE WOMEN AND YOUNG PERSONS DIVISION OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT,+ HE ADDED.
HOLMES TO HEAD FIRE SERVICES
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THE DIRECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES, MR FREDERICK WATSON, WILL BE RETIRING FROM PUBLIC SERVICE IN APRIL 1984.
HE WILL BE SUCCEEDED BY MR ROBERT HOLMES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES. WHOSE PROMOTION HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS.
/MR WATSON