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072103 MDL IN 8998,
THAT WHETHER THE HK GOVERNMENT WOULD GIVE FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON THE AIRPORT TO THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD BE DISCUSSED THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS AND SHOULD NOT BE RELAYED THROUGH THE MASS MEDIA. QUOTING A REPORT IN A MACAU PAPER, THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (5.1) REPORTED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LU PING, HAD TURNED DOWN A PROPOSAL BY SIR PIERS JACOBS TO MEET HIM IN PEKING FOR PRIVATE TALKS ON THE FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS. THE PAPER (5.1) NOTED THAT THE CHINESE WERE CONCERNED THAT THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY WOULD LACK
SOMEONE WHO REALLY COULD REPRESENT CHINA.
NATIONALITY
BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE
13. SING TAO JIH PAO AND THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS REPORTED THAT SO FAR ONLY ABOUT 1,200 APPLICATIONS FOR THE RIGHT OF ABODE UNDER THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE HAD BEEN RECEIVED WHILE SOME 210,000 APPLICATION FORMS HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED. A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN WAS QUOTED AS DENYING THAT THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, DONALD TSANG, HAD URGED SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS NOT TO APPLY FOR THE SCHEME BUT THAT MR TSANG HAD ONLY SAID THAT
BECAUSE SOME 30 POSTS OF PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS OF THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT COULD NOT TO BE FILLED BY HOLDERS OF FOREIGN PASSPORTS OR BY THOSE WHO HAD SECURED RIGHT OF ABODE OVERSEAS, SOME SENIOR HK OFFICIALS MIGHT, PERHAPS FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR OWN CAREER PROSPECTS, NOT WISH TO APPLY. TA KUNG PAO QUOTED THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENIOR NON-EXPATRIATE CIVIL SERVICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, LAU SING, AS SAYING THAT LU PING'S REMARKS ON THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WOULD BOOST THE MORALE OF CIVIL SERVANTS. A FEW PAPERS, QUOTING A CHINA NEWS AGENCY DISPATCH, SAID THAT BRITISH FIRMS IN HK WERE ACTIVELY PLANNING TO LOBBY THE UK GOVERNMENT TO OFFER A SAFETY NET SCHEME SIMILAR TO THOSE PROVIDED BY THE US, FRANCE AND GERMANY FOR ITS SENIOR EMPLOYEES AS IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WAS TOO BROAD TO BE ABLE TO INCLUDE THOSE OF THEIR EMPLOYEES UNDER CONSIDERATION.
US
14. MANY PAPERS REPORTED THAT AN IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL OF THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS UNDER THE US DEPARTMENT OF STATE SAID THAT UNDER A NEW AMERICAN IMMIGRATION ACT, IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENTS IN HK WHO DELAYED THEIR ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY WOULD BE AFFECTED BY SOME FACTORS AND MIGHT HAVE THEIR VISAS REVOKED. THE PAPERS AND CRE REPORTED THAT SINCE THE PASSING OF A SPECIAL IMMIGRATION ACT LAST NOVEMBER WHICH ENABLED US COMPANIES IN HK TO APPLY ON BEHALF OF THEIR SENIOR EMPLOYEES IMMIGRANT VISAS, ONLY
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