XN000022-1981-10-27 — Page 13

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1981

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GOOD PROMOTION PROSPECTS IN IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

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MORE INTELLIGENT YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN ARE BEING URGENTLY SOUGHT BY THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT TO COPE WITH THE EVER-INCREASING WORKLOAD.

+FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH NEARLY 16 MILLION ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, COMPARED WITH ABOUT 14 MILLION FOR THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, + A SPOKESMAN FOR THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED.

THE DEMAND FOR OTHER IMMIGRATION FACILITIES HAS ALSO INCREASED. FOR EXAMPLE, A TOTAL OF 786 559 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS WERE ISSUED AND 385 527 VISA APPLICATIONS WERE PROCESSED FROM JANUARY TO AUGUST THIS YEAR. DURING THE SAME PERIOD, THE DEPARTMENT'S ENQUIRIES SECTION HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH SOME 361 800 CALLS, AN EIGHT PER CENT INCREASE OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1980.

+THAT IS WHY WE HAVE TO RECRUIT MORE STAFF AND AT THE SAME TIME, TO PROMOTE THE EXPERIENCED OFFICERS TO TAKE UP POSTS OF HIGHER RESPONSIBILITY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+IMMIGRATION WORK IS INTERESTING, CHALLENGING, EXCITING AND FULL OF VARIETY, SAID MR LEE KUN-SUM, AN IMMIGRATION ASSISTANT RECENTLY PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF ASSISTANT IMMIGRATION OFFICER. MR LEE JOINED THE DEPARTMENT IN 1977 AS AN IMMIGRATION ASSISTANT.

+ THE WORK RANGES FROM THE CONTROL OF PEOPLE PASSING IN AND OUT OF HONG KONG TO THE ISSUE OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, FROM SEARCHES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, TO THE ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRANT LAWS,+ HE SAID.

SHARING HIS COLLEAGUE'S VIEWS, MR WONG HANG-CHEONG ADDED THAT

THE WORK WAS IMPORTANT AND BUSY TOO.

+AS IMMIGRATION OFFICERS, WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO MEET PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES AND FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, AND THERE WAS ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO GO OVERSEAS, MR WONG SAID.

MR WONG WAS AWARDED A BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL (BEM) LAST YEAR BY THE QUEEN FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN HANDLING LARGE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE INFLUX IN 1979.

BOTH OFFICERS AND EIGHT OTHER PROMOTED ASSISTANT IMMIGRATION OFFICERS ARE NOW RECEIVING A FURTHER 13 WEEKS INTENSIVE TRAINING WHICH COVERS PHYSICAL EXERCISES, LEARNING ABOUT THE RELEVANT IMMIGRATION LAWS AND STANDING ORDERS, AS WELL AS THE TECHNIQUES OF HANDLING SUSPECTS, AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF FORGED DOCUMENTS.

THE TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE THE OFFICERS ARE GIVEN POWERS TO SEARCH, DETAI. AND ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, OVERSTAYERS AND THOSE WHO BREACH THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID. + THE TECHNIQUES IN IDENTIFYING FORGED DOCUMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO CURB ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND ASSOCIATED CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES,+ HE STRESSED.

THE TRAINEES ARE ALSO DESPATCHED TO CONTROL POINTS AT THE AIRPORT, LOWU AND HONG KONG-MACAU FERRY PIER ON PRACTICAL WORK.