Scheme to allow mainlanders in Hong Kong right of return seen as a gesture to ease tensions
'Complex' issue likely based on frustration over influx, but won't have much impact, expert says
A scheme to allow mainland migrants in Hong Kong to return home raises "complex'' issues, Hong Kong's security chief warned yesterday amid debate on why the idea has been floated.
The proposal is being discussed by the State Council and few details have been made available.
But one expert believed few people would take advantage of such a scheme and that it would serve more as a political gesture to appease Hongkongers and ease cross-border tension.
"It's not a simple issue. Whatever the decision may be, we need to follow relevant legal provisions," said Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok, adding that the city's government had exchanged information with mainland authorities on the topic.
The proposal is thought to be aimed at recent migrants from the mainland who arrived on one-way permits to reunite with relatives. They had to surrender their hukou - their household registration and right of abode across the border.
"The decision belongs to the mainland authorities... Whether they can regain their hukou when they return to the mainland is not Hong Kong's problem," said Lai.