The Hong Kong SAR government will not grant amnesty to abode
claimants whose plea to stay was rejected last week by the Court of
Final Appeal, Secretary for Security Regina Ip said on Sunday.
But the government will consult mainland authorities on the
possibility of treating the failed appellants as a special group
when processing their applications for one-way permits, Ip
said.
Granting amnesty to these people was not feasible as it was unfair
and would encourage mainlanders to enter Hong Kong illegally, Ip
told reporters.
"The director of immigration's discretion, as he has explained, can
only be exercised exceptionally," she said.
"If you grant an amnesty on a blanket basis, you'll be creating
unfairness to other people who have taken our advice to return to
the mainland waiting lawfully for the chance to return to Hong
Kong.
"You'll receive more complaints from these people and others may be
encouraged to come to Hong Kong to try their luck. So I don't think
amnesty is a good idea."
Under the current system of processing one-way permit applications,
mainland authorities give five categories of people faster
access.
They include mainlanders who were born after either one of their
parents had become a permanent resident of the SAR; Hongkonger's
infant offspring on the mainland; mainlanders with spouse in the
SAR; and mainland offspring of Hong Kong residents and parents who
could not look after themselves.
Ip
again called upon the abode seekers to keep calm and refrain from
making a radical response.
She asked them to accept the CFA verdict and voluntarily return to
the mainland.
Spokesman of the abode seekers Cheung Cho-sang welcomed the
government's suggestion, but he asked the Security Bureau to do it
as soon as possible.
Also on Sunday, the Commissioner of Police Tsang Yam-pui explained
that the police would not allow these abode seekers to demonstrate
outside the Central Government Offices (CGO) at this stage as it
would be difficult to keep the situation under control.
But he stressed that this was not an infringement on their right to
demonstrate.
He
also confirmed that the police had stepped up security at the
CGO.
Meanwhile, about a thousand abode claimants marched from Causeway
Bay to Chater Garden to protest against the CFA's ruling.
Arguments broke out between some of the protesters and passers-by
as the procession caused obstruction to the area's traffic.
The protesters stopped briefly outside the High Court building to
show support for the 22 abode seekers convicted earlier for setting
a fatal fire at the Immigration Department headquarters.
Spokesman Cheung said they would keep a night vigil at Chater
Garden before proceeding to the Immigration Department this morning
to request the Director of Immigration Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong to
exercise discretionary powers to grant them the right of abode.
He
claimed they would not leave until they could talk directly with
Lee.
(China Daily January 15,
2002)