basis to visit their friends and relatives. These people could' return to the mainland after their visit and come again some other time. However, they stayed behind temporarily, perhaps just for the fear that they would not be allowed to come again because of the entry restrictions. Some remained in Hong Kong due to family or occupational needs. In a family, parents and children may not necessarily live together under the same roof. Some elderly people need relatives from the mainland to look after them. Their own sons or daughters might not be around any more but they still had grandchildren or nephews. Some people might need their brothers or sisters to be here to help them look after their business and industrial concerns. Others might need their relatives to inherit their estates, etc. These relatives might not be their next-of-kins, as this varies according to individual cases. However, according to the measures announced by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, applications are restricted to father-son and husband-wife relationships. In the case of father-son relationship, there is an additional age limitation; and in the case of husband-wife relationship, the wife cannot apply for the husband There is a customary saying: the law must take into account human sympathies. This rigid and fastidious procedure is totally impractical, as it does not take into consideration the practical needs of people concerned, and it overlooks the social ethics of Chinese people; it is therefore neither rational nor justified.
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In our opinion, it is possible to allow people to live in Hong Kong as it did in the past, if the one-way exit permits which emigrants from the mainland held were issued only after their applications were carefully screened there. To implement the new measures inconsiderately would be like looking for problems, but not having them solved.
We feel that a more far-sighted view should be taken in dealing with these problems. Everyone knows that China has been providing Hong Kong with the daily necessities for a long time and facilitating the development of trade and industry. In order to achieve the four modernizations, China will co-operate with Hong Kong in many aspects, and she will certainly not want to let too many people come to Hong Kong and cause insoluble problems. Recently the number of people coming from China has certainly gone up. One of the reasons is that after the crushing of the Gang of Four, the policy regarding returned overseas Chinese living in China has been clarified, and their applications to leave the country, which had been piling up for more than ten years, are now gradually being approved. Even people who want to visit their relatives and friends in Hong Kong can have their applications approved only recently. Besides, there is a boost in short term visit groups to Hong Kong. Thus the number of people coming in at Lo Wu
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