XN000022-1990-06-25 — Page 21

CALLER: HI. MY QUESTION IS, I'VE NOTICED THAT THE GOVERNMENT ALWAYS TRY TO PERSUADE THE OVERSEAS CHINESE WHO HOLD THE FOREIGN PASSPORT BACK TO HONG KONG AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THEY WOULD TREAT THOSE PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY?

SIR DAVID: SORRY, MISS PENG, I DIDN'T CATCH THE LAST PART OF THAT QUESTION.

OLIVER SCOTT:

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I'M AFRAID IT IS RATHER A BAD LINE, MISS PENG. WONDER IF I COULD JUST TROUBLE YOU THIS IS OLIVER SCOTT IN LONDON I WONDER IF I COULD JUST TROUBLE YOU TO REPEAT YOUR QUESTION FOR SIR DAVID WILSON.

CALLER: OK, YES. I'VE NOTICED THAT THE GOVERNMENT ALWAYS TRY TO PERSUADE THE OVERSEAS CHINESE WHO HOLD THE FOREIGN PASSPORT BACK TO HONG KONG AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER THOSE PEOPLE WOULD BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY.

SIR DAVID: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS PENG. ORIGINALLY FROM HONG KONG?

MAY I ASK YOU, WERE YOU

CALLER: YES, I AM A LANDED IMMIGRANT IN CANADA.

SIR DAVID: YOU ARE. BECAUSE LAST TIME I WENT TO VANCOUVER I WAS VERY INTERESTED JUST WALKING AROUND THE AIRPORT, TO MEET A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG AND TO FIND THAT ALL OF THEM CAME UP AND GREETED ME AND WESTERN SAID HOW NICE IT WAS TO SEE THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG IN

WE HAVE, AS YOU CANADA, AND THE SAME ON A RECENT VISIT TO TORONTO. KNOW, A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ORIGINALLY FROM HONG KONG WHO ARE NOW CANADIAN CITIZENS. WELL, YES, WE DO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO AND THAT HONG KONG AND I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT, IF I MAY, AS WELL.

IT'S

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IS NOT BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO STEAL PEOPLE BACK FROM CANADA, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THOSE PEOPLE COULD CONTRIBUTE A GREAT DEAL TO HONG KONG AND ALSO, I THINK, WE BELIEVE THAT MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT HERE AND WHO HAVE GONE TO CANADA AND WHO HAVE GOT CANADIAN WOULD IN PASSPORTS AND OF COURSE I DON'T KNOW IF THIS COVERS YOU

THEY WENT TO CANADA TO GET MANY WAYS RATHER HAVE STAYED IN HONG KONG. THEIR PASSPORTS AS A SORT OF INSURANCE POLICY, BUT MANY OF THEM WOULD NOW IF THOSE PEOPLE WANT TO REALLY LIKE TO BE SETTLED IN HONG KONG.

THEY ARE TALENTED COME BACK, WE WOULD VERY MUCH WELCOME THEM BACK.

THEY PEOPLE; THERE IS A TREMENDOUS LOT GOING ON HERE IN HONG KONG; WOULD EASILY FIND THINGS TO DO TO CONTRIBUTE TO HONG KONG'S SUCCESS. NO THE ANSWER IS, THEY NOW, WOULD THEY BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY? WOULD NOT. WE DON'T TREAT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY, WE TREAT EVERYBODY ON EQUAL TERMS, BUT WE WELCOME BACK THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT HONG KONG AND GOT FOREIGN PASSPORTS SOMEWHERE ELSE.

OLIVER SCOTT: DAVID.

SIR WELL, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WARM ENOUGH INVITATION, MEANWHILE, SHEILA LANCASTER WHO IS CALLING FROM HITCHIN IN PERCEIVED A PARADOX WHICH HERTFORDSHIRE HERE IN ENGLAND HAS, I THINK,

MISS LANCASTER. SHE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE UP WITH YOU.

YES, GOOD AFTERNOON.

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AND I CONSIDER 250,000 MINIMUM

CALLER:

BEARING IN MIND THAT THE HONG KONG CHINESE WISH TO SEND THE VIETNAMESE BACK TO VIETNAM RIGHTLY SO WHY IS IT THAT THEY CAN'T SEE THAT THE THAT THEY WISH TO SEND HERE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE TO US?

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