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British Embassy
Electra House 115-117 Esteban Street Legaspi Village Makati
Metro Manila PO Box 1970 MCC Makati Metro Manila Philippines
Telex PN3282 (Answer back Prodrome PN3282)
Telephone 89-10-51/8
R Peirce Esq
Deputy Political Adviser
Hong Kong
Your reference
Our reference
Date
CL. HUD
FED
P.a. plse
12/5.
4 May 1987
HONG KONG: FOREIGN DOMESTIC HELPERS
1.
Unfortunately our attempts to divert Max Soliven from making the new rules covering Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong into a crusade in his column in the Philippine Star have been unsuccessful see the attached cuttings.
2.
so.
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It was dearly useful that Alan Carter, Director of Immigration should have seen Max Soliven and we are grateful to him for doing He was able to put the problem into perspective and this was reflected in Soliven's column on 1 May. But Soliven had his whitl in his previous article on 30 April which raised the point that the minumum wage increase would price the FDHS out of the labour market; this is the first time that this point has been aired in the press here. The column also complains about the fact that FDHS will have to return to their country of origin on the expiry of their contract and seek a new visa before being allowed back in and it raises the usual complaints of physical abuse of Filipina maids by employers.
3. Another issue that has separately been raised in the press here is the allegation that some banks in Hong Kong are requiring FDHS to lodge their passports with them as security against personal loans, either as a condition of the loan or on a "voluntary" basis see cuttings attached.
4. On the whole, the new regulations have not so far created too much of a stir here; the issue is being debated publicly more in Hong Kong than in Manila. But Soliven's intervention has raised the ante and it may be that the DFA reacting to the pressure being put on the Philippines Consul General in Hong Kong, will raise this into a bilateral issue. I shall keep you posted, and have in the meantime sent round copies of the revised guidance notes which we received here on 1 May. I see from Max Soliven's article that a
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