Hkk 341 /h 10.
WEN HUI BAO
: Editorial (19 March 1979)
NC.
53
2 3 MAR 1979
Immigration Policies should be Humane and Reas naby
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Recently,, the Immigration Department has temporarily stopped accepting applications from people in Hong Kong for entry permits for their relatives in China. Many applicants are perplexed by this measure. Since January 15, within a short period of three months, the Department has changed its policy twice, and failed to explain the measures in detail on both occasions, and people simply do not know what to do.
We feel that immigration policies are a matter of great concern to the public. Prior to any changes, the authorities should announce the details of the new measure and the difference between the new and the old method, including the regulations, procedures and effect. However, the Immigration Department has failed to do so on both occasions, thus leaving the people to speculate and draw their own conclusions. This makes people feel frustrated and puzzled.
The immigration problem concerns tens of thousands of families, and it is not appropriate for the Government to stop accepting applications on the ground of excessive number of applications. We believe that if the Department is short of hands, it should strengthen its staff or process the applications one by one according to priority. It should not stop processing altogether. It is certainly not a nice thing to do if a technical problem such as this should result in the disappointment or anxiety of so many people.
The Government has been repeatedly changing its immigration regulations mainly because it is worried that the increasing number of immigrants from China may result in a tremendous burden on Hong Kong's housing, employment situation, medical facilities, social welfare service and education. It seems that the Government only sees them as
'consumers' of our welfare services, and not as 'contributors' and 'generators' of Hong Kong's wealth. In recent years,
there has been an acute shortage of technicians in various professions. Though the Hong Kong Training Council is making an effort to solve the problem, judging from its speed, it may take five to seven years to meet the requirement of rapid expansions. Is it not true that such vacancies are being filled by people from the mainland? The problem of doctors! shortage is an example. Under the existing policy, doctors from China seem to be a burden on the Hong Kong Government, but if the government makes good use of them and give them the opportunity to practise their skills, these doctors can become a valuable asset to Hong Kong. Moreover, the local cultural scene has become much more colourful in recent years,
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