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for 4 weeks but the efforts made by, or on behalf of, overstayers from China to avoid removal would probably be more determined and better financed, often involving leading Hong Kong citizens.
20.
Immigration Department assesses that, to track down 75 overstayers every day, it would need 74 additional Investigation staff and 11 radio equipped vehicles, plus 123 additional staff to handle the consequential removal orders and appeals. The recurrent cost would be of the order of $20 m. annually. (No provision has yet been made in the 1982/83 draft estimates). The existing Victoria Immigration Centre ought to be large enough to accommodate those detained, at least for some time to come.
21.
To provide this additional element on a permanent, long term basis without detriment to Immigration Department's existing or pending responsibilities, (new control points, new identity cards etc.,) the Department estimates that it would need 18 months to recruit and train additional staff. If however it is thought imperative to implement the proposals in this paper sooner, i.e. during 1982, there are two possibilities:-
(a)
(b)
if the new element of nearly 200 staff is to start off and continue at full strength, then it can be found only by reducing staff at the normal points of entry (Kai Tak, Lo Wu, Macau Wharf etc.,). The consequence of such reduction will be considerably longer waiting time for passengers passing through these points, with a resultant public outcry, effect on tourism etc.,
if the announcement were timed for mid-February 1982 or end July 1982 (with implementation starting in April or September respectively see para 34), it would be possible to redeploy existing staff without excessive detriment to other tasks provided, if the earlier date was decided on, they could be withdrawn to cope with the normal summer rush June August. In other words, given an April 1982 start on implementation, intensive searches for overstayers could be carried out during April and May, followed by only limited operations until September 1982, when
/staff could
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