TNAG-1821-FCO40-2584-Emigration-from-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 128

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MDLIAN 9853

PEKING WAS IN FIRM CONTROL OF THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE AND THE

LACK OF CLEAR-CUT GUIDELINE ON WHAT IMPORTANCE THE BLCC WOULD GIVE

TO LOCAL VIEWS.

4.

WHILST PRESS COMMENTARIES CONTINUED TO FOCUS ON THE MAJOR AREAS OF CONTROVERSY SUCH AS THE JURISDICTION OF THE SAR COURTS, THE APPLICATION OF NATIONWIDE STATUTES, THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BL, THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ECONOMIC ISSUES, INTEREST IN

THE FUTURE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE NATIONALITY ISSUES BEGAN TO

EMERGE. LEGCO MEMBER ANDREW WONG SAID THAT DETAILS ON THE FORMATION

OF THE FIRST SARG WERE SUBJECT TO FURTHER DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE

CHINESE AND THE BRITISH SIDES NEARER 1997 AND SHOULD NOT BE LAID

DOWN SO FAR IN ADVANCE IN THE BL. SING PAO WARNED THAT THE PROPOSED

ELECTION COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTINV UP THE FIRST SARG WOULD

BE TOO POWERFUL AND WOULD RESULT IN AN ELITIST GOVERNMENT. ON

NATIONALITY, THE QUESTION OF HK CHINESE HOLDING FOREIGN PASSPORTS AND THE EXPATRIATES' RIGHT OF PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN THE SAR WERE

ATTRACTING ATTENTION. LEE YU OF WEN WEI PO CONCEDED THAT SOME OF THE

DEFINITIONS OF SAR PERMANENT RESIDENTS IN THE BL WERE TOO LAX.

VISIT

5. THERE CONTINUED TO BE SOME SPECULATION THAT THE BL WOULD BE

RAISED DURING JI PENFEI'S VISIT AND THAT OF VICE PREMIER, TIAN JIYUN.

THE ARRIVAL OF A GROUP OF SIX CHINESE STATE COUNCIL OFFICIALS LED BY

ZHENG WEIRONG FOR A FAMILIARISATION VISIT AT HKG'S INVITATION WAS

WELL COVERED AND WAS SEEN AS ENABLING THEM TO OBTAIN FIRST-HAND

KNOWLEDGE OF THE OPERATION OF HKG. TAK KUNG PAO REPORTED THAT THE CHINESE WOULD ALSO BE INVITING HKG OFFICIALS TO VISIT PEKING ΤΟ

ENHANCE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.

E MIGRATION

6.

EMIGRATION REMAINED A TALKING POINT. THE GOVERNOR SAID IN AN

INTERVIEW WITH THE INDEPENDENT THAT HKG HAD NO INTENTION TO RESTRICT

THE FREEDOM OF TRAVEL, BUT IT WOULD ENDEAVOUR TO SECURE A BUOYANT ECONOMY AND AN ATTRACTIVE LIFESTYLE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REMAIN

HERE OR TO RETURN AFTER EMIGRATION. ZHOU NAN SAID IN AN INTERVIEW

WITH THE OUTLOOK WEEKLY THAT THE EMIGRATION TREND REFLECTED THE

UNSTABLE STATE OF MIND OF SOME HK PEOPLE. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT

EMI GRANTS WOULD RETURN WHEN THEY REALISED THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

OF THE TERRITORY. ZHOU POINTED OUT THAT IN SPITE OF THE OUTFLOW OF FUNDS, HK DID NOT SUFFER FROM A SHORTAGE OF INVESTMENTS. A SURVEY CARRIED OUT AMONG SOME SENIOR RANKING CIVIL SERVANTS INDICATED A

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