HK reassures Indonesia over travel documents<\/p>\n
HONG KONG (Reuter): Hong Kong authorities assured Jakarta
\nyesterday that travel documents would remain valid after the
\nBritish colony reverts to China, making it unnecessary to send
\nhome 60,000 Hong Kong people now working in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The assurance from Hong Kong's immigration department came
\nafter an immigration spokesman in Jakarta said Indonesia would
\nask the Hong Kong citizens to leave by June because their papers
\nmight not be valid after July 1 this year.<\/p>\n
"The people, who are mostly workers, will have to leave
\nIndonesia by June for Hong Kong, where their documents will be
\nauthorized by the Chinese government," the spokesman said.<\/p>\n
"The people can return to Indonesia again once their documents
\nhave been authorized by the Chinese government."<\/p>\n
But Hong Kong immigration spokesman Eric Chan told Reuters the
\ntwo countries had been in contact over the report and that
\nIndonesia now understood no further endorsement was needed.<\/p>\n
The British and Chinese governments had signed an agreement in
\n1986 that the Certificate of Identity (CI) travel document would
\nremain valid after the July 1 handover, until the documents
\nexpire, Chan said. The documents have a 10-year validity.<\/p>\n
"So there is no question that the Hong Kong CI will cease to
\nbe valid on July 1, 1997," Chan said.<\/p>\n
"All CI holders will have right of abode in Hong Kong. In
\nother words they can return to Hong Kong any time they want."<\/p>\n
The Indonesian spokesman said the workers were originally to
\nhave left by the end of March but had been granted a three-month
\nreprieve. He said the CI papers held by the 60,000 people would
\nno longer be valid after the sovereignty change in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
The document is used by 1.3 million people who have become
\nHong Kong permanent residents but who have no claim to a national
\npassport issued by any country.<\/p>\n
Most governments regard it as a "stateless" person's travel
\ndocument. Its holders must obtain visas before traveling.<\/p>\n
The document will gradually be replaced by a new Hong Kong
\npassport that will be issued by the post-colonial government of
\nthe "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)". But it will
\ntake time to issue new SAR passports to large numbers of people.<\/p>\n
The transitional situation has confused some governments who
\nare anxious about possible immigration tangles. Last December
\nIndonesia turned away more than 200 travelers from Hong Kong even
\nthough they had prior visas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hk-reassures-indonesia-over-travel-documents-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}