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FROM THIS, ONE COULD SEE THAT BRITAIN WAS NOT DOING WHAT IT HAD PROMISED.
EXPRESSING SIMILAR VIEWS, THE EXPRESS MAINTAINED THAT ACTION WOULD SPEAK LOUDER THAN VERBAL EXPRESSIONS OF SYMPATHY, AND THAT BRITAIN'S PLAN TO DONATE ONE MILLION POUND STERLING TO THE UNHCR WOULD NOT HELP CHANGE PEOPLE'S IMPRESSION OF ITS ''HYPOCRISY''.
THE PAPER ASKED HOW BRITAIN COULD EXPECT OTHER COUNTRIES TO ACCEPT
MORE VRS IF IT FAILED TO TAKE THE LEAD AND SET A GOOD EXAMPLE TO
THEM. IT CRITICISED BRITAIN FOR REFUSING TO MAKE ANY COMMITMENT AND FOR TRYING TO EVADE ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO HK.
ADOPTING A SIMILAR LINE, THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS SAID THAT AS FAR AS HK PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED, WHAT BRITAIN SHOULD DO WAS TO HELP HK SOLVE THE VR/VBP PROBLEM AT SOURCE, AND NOT MERELY TO OFFER THE TERRITORY ''TRIVAIL ASSISTANCE''.
IF BRITAIN REALLY WANTED TO SEE HK'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY MAINTAINED, IT SHOULD NOT ALL ALONG TRY TO EVADE ITS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VRS IN THE TERRITORY. HOWEVER, REMARKS BY LORD GLENARTHUR YESTERDAY SHOWED THAT BRITAIN HAD NOT TAKEN THIS INTO ACCOUNT.
THE PAPER WONDERED WHETHER IT WAS REASONABLE FOR HK TO SHOULDER
SUCH A HEAVY VR BURDEN IN THE LONG TERM WHILE BRITAIN WAS GETTING ALL THE CREDITS FOR BEING A HUMANE'' COUNTRY.
THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL FELT THAT THE TIMING FOR LORD GLENARTHUR'S
VISIT SEEMED NOT RIGHT BECAUSE PORTUGAL HAD JUST ANNOUNCED THAT ALL
PEOPLE BORN IN MACAU WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE GRANTED EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PASSPORTS.
THE PAPER ARGUED THAT THIS SHOULD MAKE LORD GLENARTHUR FEEL EMBARRASSED AND GUILTY BECAUSE THE MOVE SHOWED THAT PORTUGAL HAD AT LEAST FULFILLED ITS BASIC OBLIGATIONS AS A SOVEREIGN STATE TO PEOPLE OF MACAU.
WILSON
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