ENG-1985 — Page 268

IMMIGRATION AND TOURISM

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other categories of travellers also showed increases. As a result, all immigration control points had a very busy year. The bulk of the China traffic was carried by rail via Lo Wu which remained under heavy pressure. Conditions at Lo Wu were uncomfortable for both passengers and staff because of severe overcrowding in the present temporary terminal building. The construction of the new permanent terminal is on schedule and it is expected to open in 1987. A new road crossing point was opened at Sha Tau Kok and work was well advanced on improved facilities at the Man Kam To crossing point. In the meantime, to reduce crowding, the opening hours of the control point have been extended and special arrangements are made for passengers on some trains to receive immigration clearance at Kowloon Station.

Arrangements for residents of China to visit Hong Kong were further extended. In addition to individual visitors coming to see relatives in Hong Kong, there are now group tours arriving from Guangdong and other parts of China. In 1985, there were 53 200 individual visitors and 52 900 visitors who travelled in groups. The arrangements have worked satisfactorily.

The facilities for dealing with ferry passengers travelling between China and Hong Kong were under great strain and extremely crowded conditions prevailed at the immigration control point at Tai Kok Tsui. Work has now started on the permanent passenger terminal but this will not be completed for several years. In the meantime, efforts are continuing to improve the existing temporary arrangements.

A new Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, near the old temporary terminal, was brought into use in October. The new terminal offers modern and comfortable facilities for passengers. Because of limits on the growth of the Civil Service the new immigration facilities could not be fully utilised in 1985. However, there is now scope for improving services and coping with any further increases in travellers on this route.

Planning and preparation work is now in hand for the computerisation of immigration control work at all control points. The system is being designed to increase the productivity of officers working at immigration desks and to make immigration clearance for Hong Kong residents more convenient. It is planned that the system will be introduced in stages, starting in 1987.

Personal Documentation

During the year, 0.9 million travel documents were issued to Hong Kong residents, compared with 1.2 million issued in 1984. Re-entry permits for travel to China and Macau accounted for some 70 per cent of all issues.

The four-year programme to replace all existing Hong Kong identity cards with a new type of card continued to make good progress. By the end of 1985, all men, and all women under 38 years of age had obtained new cards. Well over three million cards have now been issued and the exercise will be completed in 1987.

Vietnamese Refugees

There was some improvement in the refugee situation in 1985. At the end of the

year, the refugee population was 9 443, compared with 11 896 at the beginning. During the year, 1 112 arrived while 3 953 left for overseas resettlement, and 412 babies were born.

The closed centre policy, which was first introduced in July 1982 in an effort to discourage further arrivals from Vietnam, was maintained in the face of a continuing, though reduced, flow of small boats across the South China Sea and diminishing resettlement opportunities. Under the closed centre policy, new arrivals continue to be