| Transcript of a standup briefing by SCA after attending the Legislative Council |
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The following is the transcript of a standup briefing by the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam, after attending the Legislative Council meeting tonight (January 5)(English portion):
Reporter: You said that Mr Ma is not blacklisted, what was the reason for rejecting his visa application? Also do you think that this incident will strain .... ? SCA: As I mentioned from the start, it is not our policy to comment on individual immigration visa applications. Also we will continue to assess any application for entry from Mayor Ma in future in accordance with Qian's Seven Principles and the laws of the HKSAR. I wish to emphasise that we have not blacklisted Mayor Ma in any list of Immigration Department's entry control. So far as we are concerned, Mayor Ma has been very vigilant in placing his concern about the relations across the Taiwan Strait. And, in future if he wishes to make further visits to Hong Kong, we will continue to assess any such applications for entry according to Qian's Seven Principles and the laws of the HKSAR. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Wednesday, January 5, 2005 |