35
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1988
+
ILLEGAL
SINCE THEN, GROUPS OF
IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT, AS WELL AS EMPLOYERS FOUND AIDING AND THEM, HAD BEEN PROSECUTED.
AT
THEIR ABETTING
SIR DAVID SAID THE PROSECUTION ACTION WAS TAKEN WHEN EARLIER THIS YEAR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WAS REACHING SERIOUS LEVELS.
"IN MAY WE WERE RETURNING AN AVERAGE OF 100 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
A DAY TO CHINA, " HE SAID. "SUCH LARGE NUMBERS REPRESENT A SERIOUS
PROBLEM.
"ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO CAN NEVER LEGITIMISE THEIR POSITION ARE ALL TOO EASY A PREY FOR CRIMINAL ELEMENTS AND MAY TURN то OTHER ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES THEMSELVES.
SIR DAVID OBSERVED THAT IMMIGRATION, BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL, WAS A LONG STANDING HISTORICAL PHENOMENON, JUST AS EMIGRATION WAS.
FOR LEGAL TRAVELLERS, WHO WERE OF COURSE THE MAJORITY OF HUGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO ENTERED AND LEFT HONG KONG EVERY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE IN HAND ΤΟ SIMPLIFY AND SPEED IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES.
THE
DAY,
UP
COMPUTERISED IMMIGRATION CONTROL HAD BEEN INTRODUCED AT KAI TAK ON AUGUST 1, AND HAD RESULTED IN A WELCOME INCREASE IN THE SPEED WITH WHICH HONG KONG RESIDENTS COULD BE PROCESSED.
"IT HAS ALSO BEEN POSSIBLE TO REDUCE THE WAITING TIME FOR VISITORS TO THE TERRITORY," HE SAID.
"BUT THE SITUATION IS STILL FAR FROM IDEAL FOR A MAJOR CENTRE
OF BUSINESS AND TOURISM SUCH AS HONG KONG.
SIR DAVID NOTED THAT TWO NEW IMMIGRATION CONTROL POINTS, AT THE CHINA FERRY TERMINAL AND THE LOK MA CHAU BORDER CROSSING, WOULD BE COMPUTERISED IN DECEMBER THIS YEAR AND IN MID-1989 RESPECTIVELY.
*
PERMITS,
-
'ADULT HONG KONG RESIDENTS WILL THEN BE ABLE TO USE THESE DEPARTURE POINTS WITHOUT HAVING TO CARRY HONG KONG RE-ENTRY HE SAID.
"THIS WILL BENEFIT THE MANY RESIDENTS WHO VISIT CHINA 16 MILLION JOURNEYS A YEAR AT PRESENT."
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SOME