XN000022-1986-11-01 — Page 2

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1996

RAPID GROWTH IN IMMIGRATION WORK

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THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT HAS SHOWN A PHENOMENAL EXPANSION, EVEN BY HONG KONG STANDARDS, SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 1961 FROM A TINY DEPARTMENT OF SOME 200 STAFF TO ALMOST 5 000, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE SILVER JUBILEE BALL OF THE IMMIGRATION SERVICE, SIR DAVID, NOTED HOWEVER, THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S VOLUME OF WORK HAD GROWN EVEN FASTER AND IMMIGRATION HAD BECOME MUCH MORE COMPLICATED.

HE LISTED THE MANY PROBLEMS THE DEPARTMENT HAD HAD TO GRAPPLE WITH DURING THE PAST 25 YEARS:

* THE ARRIVAL OF SUCCESSIVE WAVES OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES;

* THE SUDDEN SURGES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACROSS THE BORDER:

*

THE HUGE GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING IN AND OUT OF HONG KONG WHICH NOW RAN AT ABOUT 40 MILLION A YEAR AND WAS STILL GROWING:

* THE AMALGAMATION OF THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT AND THE

FORMER REGISTRATION OF PERSONS DEPARTMENT AND

*

THE ABSORPTION OF THE WORK OF THE BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES REGISTRIES.

SIR DAVID QUOTED THE WORK AT LO WU AS AN EXAMPLE. HE SAID THAT THE NUMBER OF TRAVELLERS PASSING THROUGH THE CONTROL POINT HAD INCREASED FROM AN AVERAGE OF 4 000 A DAY 10 YEARS AGO TO OVER 50 000 NOW AND THE STAFF THERE HAD HAD TO WORK UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS IN INADEQUATE PREMISES.

BUT HE WAS GLAD TO KNOW THAT NEXT JANUARY THE NEW AND IMPROVED LO WU STATION WOULD BE OPENED.

SIR DAVID ALSO NOTED THAT THE NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM TO ASSIST

IN IMMIGRATION CONTROL WOULD BEGIN TO OPERATE IN 1987.

HE SAID THAT HONG KONG'S REPUTATION AS A WARM, FRIENDLY AND COURTEOUS CITY AND THE MEMORY THAT VISITORS CARRIED WITH THEM WOULD DEPEND ON THE IR FIRST AND LAST IMPRESSIONS WHEN THEY MET THE IMMIGRATION SERVICE STAFF ON THEIR ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE.

HE PRAISED THE STAFF FOR HAVING ESTABLISHED A FINE REPUTATION AND THE IR PROFESSIONALISM HAD BEEN TEMPERED WITH POLITE AND HELPFUL SERVICE.

+THERE WILL NO DOUBT BE FURTHER CHALLENGES IN THE YEARS AHEAD AND I AM CONFIDENT YOU WILL MEET THEM, HE SAID,

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