ENG-1981 — Page 211

11

Immigration and Tourism

-

事入

旅務境

遊和

As a result of the abolition of the 'reached-base' policy - which allowed illegal immigrants from China who reached the urban areas to remain in October 1980, coupled with new legislation which makes it compulsory for everyone over 15 years of age to carry a legal form of identity, there was a substantial reduction in the level of illegal immigration during 1981. No longer was Hong Kong an accessable haven for those in China attracted by its glitter. The daily average of illegal immigrants arrested on entry in September 1980 – before the new measures were introduced - was 450. During 1981, this average was reduced to 21 a day.

In efforts to halt the inflow altogether, plans were being made during 1981 for the issue of new computerised identity cards. The move was made as a counter-action against identity card forging syndicates which flourished during the year since the abolition of the 'reached-base' policy. The new cards will be more difficult to forge and suspect cards can be quickly checked. This in turn, will ensure that illegal immigrants who are remaining in Hong Kong by holding forged identity cards will eventually be detected and repatriated.

Because children were still being smuggled in, legislation was introduced in December which provided that the existing powers for the removal of unlawful entrants should apply equally to children. It was also stressed that illegal immigrants giving birth in Hong Kong would normally be returned to China.

At the same time, border defences against illegal immigration were being maintained and strengthened. The military presence was maintained at a high level and there are now more vessels at sea on anti-illegal immigration work than ever before.

Immigration

Some 23.8 million people passed through immigration control points as they entered or left Hong Kong during 1981, as compared with 21.2 million in 1980, an increase of 12 per cent. Travel by local residents as well as increases in the number of visitors from overseas contributed to the increase, and to cope with it the Immigration Department increased its staff from 3 000 to 3 567 and greatly increased the number of its control points at the airport, the Macau wharf and the road crossing to China.

The Immigration Department

The work of the Immigration Department falls into two main streams - controlling people moving into and out of Hong Kong, and providing travel documents and registration facilities for local residents. Of the department's staff of 3 567, some 1 793 are members of the Immigration Service.

One effect of the strenuous efforts to combat illegal immigration, and to deal with the problems of Vietnamese refugees, was to greatly increase the heavy demands already being