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102442 MDLIAN 1236
TERRITORY AND THAT THE CHINESE WOULD STATION TROOPS IN THE URBAN AREA AND IN THE NEW TERRITORY AFTER 1997. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE CHINESE WOULD AGREE TO LET THE BRITISH SET UP A CONSULATE IN HK
AFTER 1997.
VISIT
8. THE MEDIA REPORTED THAT LU PING AND JI PENGFEI WOULD VISIT HK
FROM MARCH 4 TO 6.
SURVEY
9. AN INDEPENDENT SURVEY COMMISSIONED BY MING PAO AND THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST SHOWED THAT HK PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PERFORMANCE HAD DROPPED OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. IT WAS NOTED THAT OF THE 634 RESPONDENTS ONLY 7 PER CENT WERE
**EXTREMELY/FULLY SATISFIED'' WITH THE HK GOVERNMENT'S PERFORMANCE COMPARED WITH 25 PER CENT LAST JULY.
BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE
10. APPLICATIONS FOR THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE STARTED TO PICK UP IN THE PAST FEW DAYS AND THE TOTAL NUMBER RECEIVED AS OF FEBRUARY 25 WAS 23,090. MING PAO NOTED THAT SOME 30 MAJOR LOCAL FIRMS WITH CLOSE BRITISH LINKS WERE FOUND NOT TOO ACTIVE IN PROMOTING THE PACKAGE AMONG ITS EMPLOYEES AND THAT ONLY TEN COMPANIES HAD ARRANGED TALKS BY LAWYERS TO HELP THEIR STAFF COMPLETE THEIR APPLICATIONS. GUO FENGMIN SAID THAT THE PACKAGE WAS DIVISIVE AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS. HE REITERATED THAT THE CHINESE WERE AGAINST THE PACKAGE BUT NOT THOSE CIVIL SERVANTS WHO HAD APPLIED FOR THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN BRITAIN UNDER THE SCHEME. A LOCAL DEPUTY TO THE NPC, LIU YIU-CHU, SAID THAT THE POOR RESPONSE SHOWED THAT HK PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT COULD NOT HELP THEM FACE THE UNCERTAINTIES IN THE FUTURE. A SOCIOLOGY LECTURER AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, CHAN HOI-MAN, SAID THAT THE POOR RESPONSE WAS BECAUSE OF THE PACKAGE'S HARSH REQUIREMENTS.
TONGA
11. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE TONGAN PARLIAMENT HAD DECIDED THAT IT WOULD RECOGNISE THE 426 PASSPORTS SOLD MOSTLY TO HK RESIDENTS SINCE 1984 BUT THAT NO MORE SUCH PASSPORTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN FUTURE.
WILSON
YYYY
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