WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1989
CLOSED AREA RESTRICTIONS KEPT UNDER REVIEW
NEED FOR THE GOVERNMENT KEEPS THE
AREA CLOSED
RESTRICTIONS BE MADE WHERE POSSIBLE TO UNDER REGULAR REVIEW AND CHANGES WILL MINIMISE INCONVENIENCE TO LOCAL RESIDENTS, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON GEOFFREY BARNES, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
FROM THE HON LAU HE WAS REPLYING A QUESTION
WONG-FAT, WHO
ASKED IF
THE STRINGENT THE
WOULD CONSIDER GOVERNMENT
RELAXING RESTRICTIONS ON THE MOVEMENTS OF RESIDENTS AND VISITORS IN AND OUT THE SHA TAU KOK CLOSED AREA.
OF
OF SHA THE
MR BARNES SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS AWARE OF THE CONCERN TAU KOK RESIDENTS, AND THE RESTRICTIONS ON MOVEMENT IN AND OUT OF CLOSED AREA HAD BEEN MADE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE.
CASES OR
WHERE
FOR PERMITS BY THE POLICE,
"ANY COMPLAINTS
APPLICANTS EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY WILL BE INVESTIGATED PROMPTLY HE SAID.
HE ALSO POINTED OUT
AREA WITHIN THE CLOSED IMPROVED.
THAT
SOME
AND
DEVELOPMENT HAD SHA TAU KOK TOWN WAS
TAKEN BEING
PLACE GREATLY
"BUT THIS REDEVELOPMENT IS INTENDED ONLY TO IMPROVE
то NOT
OPEN UP THE AREA FOR EXISTING RESIDENTS AND DEVELOPMENT, MR BARNES ADDED.
Н
CONDITIONS
FOR GENERAL
HE STRESSED THAT THE RESTRICTIONS ON MOVEMENT INTO AND
GENERAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE
OUT OF FRONTIER
SHA TAU KOK WERE PART OF THE CLOSED AREA WHICH RAN ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BORDER WITH CHINA.
THE FRONTIER CLOSED AREA WAS THEREFORE THE SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
AN ESSENTIAL PART OF
RELATIVELY
"ALTHOUGH PRESENT LEVELS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ARE
WE NEED TO GUARD AGAINST ANY LOW, THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS AND RESURGENCE," HE SAID.
"IN 1988, A TOTAL OF 20,987 II'S WERE ARRESTED, OF 9,000 WERE ARRESTED ON THE LAND BORDER.
WHICH
OVER
"WITHOUT
THE FRONTIER
CLOSED AREA,
THE
DIFFICULTIES
OF
INTERCEPTING II'S WOULD BE VERY MUCH GREATER."
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