XN000022-1987-08-13 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1987

THAN

MR TAM NOTED THAT OUT OF THE 3.2 MILLION ELIGIBLE VOTERS MORE 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED. HE URGED THE REMAINING 1.8 MILLION PEOPLE TO SIGN UP DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

ALSO PRESENT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS REGISTRATION OF THE REGISTRATION AND ELECTORAL DIVISION, MR LAI KWAN-TAT.

OFFICER

"ELECTIONS TO THE DISTRICT BOARD, THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE REGIONAL COUNCIL ALL SHARE A COMMON ELECTORAL ROLL. AN ELECTOR IS THEREFORE REQUIRED TO REGISTER ONLY ONCE FOR ALL THESE ELECTIONS", MR LAI SAID.

"ANYONE WHO IS 21 YEARS OLD AND HAS LIVED IN HONG KONG FOR SEVEN YEARS OR MORE OR WHO IS A HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENT IS ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER.

FOR THE CURRENT EXERCISE, ANYONE BORN IN 1966 AND WHO WILL BE 21 BY THE END OF THIS YEAR WILL MEET THE AGE QUALIFICATION.

J

THE TERM "HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENT" INTRODUCED FROM JULY 1 THIS YEAR, COVERS CHINESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ORDINARILY RESIDED IN HONG KONG FOR A PERIOD OF NOT LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS AND PERSONS WHO ARE BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS BY VIRTUE OF A CONNEXION WITH HONG KONG SUCH AS BY BIRTH, ADOPTION, NATURALISATION OR REGISTRATION IN HONG KONG.

MR LAI POINTED OUT THAT ТЕГЕ PUBLIC COULD SEND IN THEIR REGISTRATION FORMS AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR, BUT TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS ENOUGH TIME TO PROCESS THEIR APPLICATIONS FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS NEXT YEAR, THEY SHOULD REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

"A MAJOR VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE WILL BE LAUNCHED THIS SATURDAY. THE THEME OF THE CAMPAIGN IS 'EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT, REGISTER AS AN ELECTOR'", MR TAM SAID.

"WE ALSO WISH TO MAKE SPECIAL APPEALS TO YOUNG 21 AND 25 YEARS OLD BECAUSE THE REGISTRATION RATE OF IS COMPARATIVELY LOWER THAN THE OTHERS," HE ADDED.

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PEOPLE BETWEEN THIS AGE GROUP

A DISTRICT BOARD THEME SONG

'SOMEWHERE IN YOUR DISTRICT" SUNG BY POPULAR SINGER JACKY CHEUNG, HAS BEEN PRODUCED AND WILL BE BROADCAST ON RADIO TO TIE IN WITH THE VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN.

MORE THAN 25,000 POSTERS, BEARING THE CAMPAIGN SLOGAN, ARE BEING DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY. THIS IS ALSO SUPPLEMENTED BY SPECIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE PUBLIC INTERESTS (API'S) AND CINEMA SLIDES.

/FOR THE