THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1992
NEW CROSS-BORDER PROCEDURES TO EASE PASSENGER TRAFFIC
NEW ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE MADE FROM JAUNARY 1 AT LO WU CHECK POINT TO FURTHER STREAMLINE CROSS-BORDER PROCEDURES.
AN IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) THAT VISITORS FROM CHINA MAY IN FUTURE CONFLETE DATA FORMS AND PHOTOCOPYING OF THEIR TWO-WAY PERMITS BEFORE ARRIVING AT HONG KONG.
"THESE CHANGES WELL GO A LONG WAY TO SHORTENING THE PROCESSING TIME IN HONG KONG.
"THE UNSATISFACTORY
HEARTS," THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
SITUATION AT LO WI IS VERY CLOSE ΤΟ OUR
IN ORDER TO COPE WITH THE ADDITIONAL DEMAND WITHOUT ADDITIONAL MANPOWER, THE DEPARTMENT HAS SINCE 1989 BERN INTRODUCING A SERIES OF MEASURES SUCH AS STREAMLINING OF PROCEDURES, SEGREGATION OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS FROM OTHER VISITORS AND FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENT OF STAFF.
"GIVEN THAT VISITORS FROM CHINA REQUIRE MORE CUMBERSOME CLEARANCE PROCEDURES, FOR EXAMPLE, COMPLETION OF DATA FORMS AND PHOTOCOPYING OF THEIR TWO-WAY PERMITS. WE HAVE MADE A SERIES OF PROPOSALS TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES IN APRIL THIS YEAR.
THIS WOULD ENABLE VISITORS TO COMPLETE THE RELEVANT FORMS AND COPY THEIR PERMITS BEFORE THEY ARRIVE AT HONG KONG, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
"THE CHINESE SIDE HAS RESPONDED FAVOURABLY LAST WEEK AND WE ARE PLEASED TO CONFIRM THAT THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS WILL START FROM NEW YEAR'S DAY," HE ADDED.
PRESSURES ON THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT HAVE BEEN PHENOMENAL IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
PASSENGER TRAFFIC AT LO WO HAS BEEN GROWING RAPIDLY A'T' AN ANNUAL RATE OF BETWEEN 10 PER CENT TO 15 PER CENT SINCE 1989.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THIS WAS HOWEVER NOT MATCHED WITH ANY INCREASES IN MANPOWER AND THE STRENGTH OF ITS LO WU CHECK POINT HAS REMAINED AT ITS 1989 LEVEL.
"THIS IS DESPITE A MARKED INCREASE IN VISITORS FROM CHINA AND THE EXTENSION OF LO WU'S OPERATING HOURS SINCE JULY 1 THIS YEAR.
"MANPOWER IS SIMPLY STRETCHED TO ITS LIMIT," HE SAID.
COMMENTING ON AN INCIDENT ON DECEMBER 16 IN WHICH A PRC FILM INDUSTRY DELEGATION WAS HELD HP AT LO WU, HIE SAID THAT DAY WAS PARTICULARLY HECTIC AND CLOSE TO 100,000 PASSENGERS PASSED THROUGH LO
WU.
THE NUMBER OF TRANSIENTS FROM CHINA WAS 609 AS COMPARED ΤΟ THE DAILY AVERAGE OF 250, HE ADDED.
/THE TOTAL
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