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"That provision has been repealed so that the rules apply equally to the execution of all wills, regardless of the race of the testator or the language in which the will was drafted," he said.
Turning to equal opportunities, Mr Wong informed Committee members that the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and Disability Discrimination Ordinance had already been enacted last year.
He said the Hong Kong Government was currently consulting the public on the need for measures to deal with discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and family status while the public consultation on discrimination on the grounds of age was expected to be carried out in late April or early May.
Mr Wong said when the resources committed to these exercises were released, probably by the autumn of this year, the Administration would initiate a study on the question of racial discrimination with a view to establishing the extent of any problems in that area and to determine what measures may be necessary.
He said in the course of the study, the Government would examine each ordinance which appeared to confer benefits on persons of one race to the exclusion of others.
"Should the examination indicate that any of them are discriminatory, we will take whatever steps may be necessary to remedy the position," he said.
On the recreational needs of Hong Kong's community of foreign domestic helpers, Mr Wong said the Government, in collaboration with the voluntary Bayanihan Trust had opened five "Sunday-only" and one five-day recreational centres.
"These have proved popular and we intend to open a second five-day centre shortly. We are exploring the possibility of setting up permanent centres and facilities," he said.
On the Vietnamese migrants, Mr Wong reported to the Committee that some 48,000 of those who arrived after June 1988 had returned to Vietnam, 46,000 of them voluntarily.
He said the international community had resolved to expedite the process of repatriation in order to bring this unhappy saga to a close.