XN000022-1986-04-16 — Page 14

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1986

12

POLICY ON MACAU VISITORS BEING REVISED

****

THE GOVERNMENT IS IN THE LAST STAGES OF DRAWING UP A SCHEME WHICH WILL ENABLE SOME EX-CHINA MACAU RESIDENTS TO ENTER HONG KONG FOR GENUINE SHORT-TERM VISITS, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON MICHAEL THOMAS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON RITA FAN, MR THOMAS SAID THE RATIONALE FOR DEBARRING THESE MACAU CITIZENS FROM ENTERING HONG KONG WAS THE NEED TO PREVENT TRAVELLERS FROM CHINA GETTING ROUND THE PRESENT RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL FROM CHINA AGREED WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY RECOGNISED THE NEED TO REVIEW THIS POLICY, BUT +BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL APPLICANTS, THE SCHEME WOULD INITIALLY BE LIMITED TO THOSE WHO HAD BEEN RESIDENT IN MACAU FOR AT LEAST SEVEN YEARS.+

IMMIGRATION POLICY ON HUSBANDS UNDER REVIEW

*****

THE GOVERNMENT REVIEWED ITS IMMIGRATION POLICIES FROM TIME TO TIME AND THE POLICY REGARDING THE SETTLEMENT OF THE HUSBANDS OF HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENTS WAS AT PRESENT UNDER REVIEW, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON MICHAEL THOMAS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

1

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON HUI YIN-FAT. MR THOMAS SAID THE RESULTS OF THE REVIEW SHOULD BE WITH THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IN A FEW WEEKS' TIME.

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT BORE IN MIND THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:

*

*

ANY BROAD RELAXATION OF RULES COULD LEAD TO A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN IMMIGRANTS INTO HONG KONG WHICH ITS ALREADY OVER-BURDENED RESOURCES COULD NOT SUPPORT:

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY SHOULD BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO ALLOW SPECIAL CASES TO BE DEALT WITH ON THEIR MERITS:

* WHILE HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS MUST BE ALLOWED FOR THE BASIC CRITERION IS THE WELFARE OF HONG KONG AS A WHOLE.

MR THOMAS ADDED THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE APPROPRIATE TO COMPARE THE IMMIGRATION POLICIES OF HONG KONG WITH THOSE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AS THE SITUATIONS WERE QUITE DIFFERE

/13