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TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1988
'II MOTHERS SHOULD FOLLOW PROPER CHANNEL
THE ONE-WAY PERMIT SYSTEM IS THE LEGAL CHANNEL FOR RESIDENTS OF CHINA TO COME TO HONG KONG FOR RESIDENCE, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
I
"WHAT WE ARE ASKING THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MOTHERS TO DO IS TO FOLLOW THE PROPER CHANNEL, HE SAID.
T
"LAST YEAR, 27,173 PERSONS CAME TO HONG KONG UNDER THE SCHEME, OF WHOM 9,570 (35.2 PER CENT) WERE WIVES OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS. THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT THEY ARE BEING GIVEN PRIORITY IN THE ISSUE OF THESE PERMITS.
"IN VIEW OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO WISH TO COME ΤΟ HONG KONG FROM CHINA FOR SETTLEMENT, MANY HAVE TRIED ΤΟ JUMP THE QUEUE BY ENTERING HONG KONG ILLEGALLY.
"THE ESTABLISHED POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT IS TO REPATRIATE
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
ALL
"IN 1986 AND 1987 17,036 ILLEGAL. IMMIGRAMTS HAD BEEN REPATRIATED. OF THESE 298 WOMEN HAD HUSBANDS AND IN MANY CASES, CHILDREN IN HONG KONG, THE SPOKESMAN REITERATED.
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AS REGARDS THE ALLEGATION THAT INSUFFICIENT TIME WAS GIVEN то THE "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MOTHERS' TO PREPARE FOR REPATRIATION, THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT WHEN THESE WOMEN WERE RELEASED ON RECOGNIZANCE SOME 16 DAYS AGO,
THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN WARNED TO MAKE PREPARATION IN CASE THEY HAD TO RETURN TO CHINA AT SHORT NOTICE.
OF ILLEGAL
THE SPOKESMAN EMPHASISED THAT REPATRIATION IMMIGRANTS WILL NORMALLY BE EFFECTED AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY,
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