XN000022-1979-02-01 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1979

CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY TAKES NEW FORM

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CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY (CI) FOR OVERSEAS TRAVEL WILL BE ISSUED IN A NEW FORM FROM MARCH 5, THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION, MR. R.G. B. BRIDGE ANNOUNCED TODAY (THURSDAY).

A NEW PROCESS WILL BE USED BY WHICH THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE HOLDER WILL BE ENGRAVED IN TWO PLACES IN THE DOCUMENT.

COMMENTING ON THE NEW STYLE, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID IT WAS DESIGNED TO MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT+ FOR FORGERS TO ALTER THE DOCUMENT.

AS THESE NEW TRAVEL PAPERS WILL TAKE 10 WORKING DAYS TO PROCESS, THE SPOKESMAN ADVISED ALL TRAVELLERS REQUIRING THIS DOCUMENT TO APPLY WELL BEFORE THEY PLAN THEIR JOURNEY.

APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED AT IMMIGRATION BRANCH OFFICES AND IN THE CHINESE RESIDENTS SECTION OF THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS, 14TH FLOOR, INTERNATIONAL BUILDING,

THERE WILL BE NO CHANGE IN THE FEE FOR THE ISSUE OF THE DOCUMENT.

RECORD PASSENGER TRAFFIC TO CHINA DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR PERIOD

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THE KOWLOON CANTON RAILWAY MOVED 163,000 PEOPLE INTO CHINA DURING THE JANUARY 23-30 LUNAR NEW YEAR PERIOD. OF THESE 121,000 TRAVELLED BETWEEN JANUARY 26-30.

+THE OVERALL FIGURES ARE THE HIGHEST RECORDED BY KCR IN ITS HISTORY AND REPRESENT AN INCREASE OF 23.5 PER CENT OVER THE 1978 FIGURES WHICH, BY ITSELF, WAS PREVIOUSLY THE ALL-TIME RECORD FIGURE,+ A SPOKESMAN FOR KCR SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).

+THE SPECIAL TRAIN ARRANGEMENTS AGREED WITH THE CANTON RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION WORKED EXCELLENTLY, THE SPOKESMAN ADDED.

HE SAID NOT ONLY WERE MORE TRAINS OPERATED THIS YEAR BUT, MORE IMPORTANT, THE CONNECTING TRAINS FROM SHUM CHUN TO CANTON STARTED MUCH EARLIER THAN IN PAST YEARS THE CONGESTION PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED IN THE EARLY MORNING AT LO WU WAS AVOIDED.

+THIS, COUPLED WITH SOME MINOR PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT LO WU WHICH FACILITATED A FREER FLOW OF PASSENGERS RESULTED IN A MUCH IMPROVED THROUGH TRANSIT FOR PASSENGERS, HE SAID.

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT THE TREMENDOUS CO-OPERATION OF THE POLICE, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENTS WHOSE STAFF

LIKE THOSE OF KCR, WORKED LONG HOURS THROUGHOUT THE NEW YEAR PERIOD, PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN A MOST SUCCESSFUL OPERATION.+

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