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The Director of Immigration, Mr Peh Yun-lu, today (March 24) inspected a passing-out parade at the Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development in Tuen Mun.
After reviewing the parade, Mr Peh looked back on his 33 years of service with the Immigration Department and said he took pride in leading the department's contribution to the development of Hong Kong.
"The Immigration Department has been in operation for fifty years. Over the past half century, we have witnessed great changes in Hong Kong and have gone through some difficult times. For example, we were seriously challenged by the massive influx of illegal immigrants from the Mainland in the early 1960s and late 1970s, the arrival of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s, the rush for naturalisation and applications for British passports in the mid-1990s, the litigation over the right of abode issue following the reunification in 1997, and the fight against SARS in 2003. With the concerted efforts and unyielding spirit of all colleagues in the Department, we have overcome all these difficulties," Mr Peh said.
He said that in the ongoing crisis in Japan, the department sent officers to Tokyo without delay on the very day of the earthquake to provide assistance to Hong Kong residents, and has continued to send reinforcements to help with residents' return. The department also deployed more than one hundred officers to man the "1868" hotline round the clock and provide practical assistance to the public. This swift and smooth operation has demonstrated the professionalism of the Immigration staff, who showed no fear of hardship or sacrifice. He was proud of his staff for their dedication and strong sense of duty.
"In the face of the rapid social and economic development over the years, we have expanded our scope of services to meet the changing needs of the community. In the early days, we were only responsible for conducting immigration control, combating immigration-related crimes and issuing travel documents and visas. Now, our responsibilities have expanded significantly to cover virtually every aspect and stage in the life of Hong Kong residents. Apart from exercising immigration control and enforcing laws, we provide a full range of registration services, issue smart identity cards, HKSAR electronic passports and other travel documents. We also process visa applications, formulate policies to attract quality migrants and investments to Hong Kong, assist Hong Kong residents in distress abroad, deal with claims to right of abode and matters relating to the implementation of Chinese Nationality Law in Hong Kong, and more.
To further improve our service standards and efficiency in meeting the needs of the public and the community, we have been working on innovative ideas to bring about further improvements in our policies and facilities. Recent initiatives include, for example, the complementary arrangements for the Individual Visit Scheme implemented by the Mainland authorities, smart identity cards, electronic passports, automated clearance, the civil celebrants of marriages scheme, the '1868' hotline to help local residents outside Hong Kong and the Registration of Outbound Travel Information service," Mr Peh said.
Looking back on the past five decades, he said the department had marched forward steadfastly with substantial growth and achievements. Being a member of the Department and having the privilege of leading such an excellent and disciplined force, he felt a great sense of pride. With his colleagues working tirelessly for the continued improvement of people-oriented services, he had no doubt that the department would be able to make even greater achievements in the years to come and realise its vision of becoming the foremost immigration service in the world in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.
Witnessing a spirited new force that was full of vigour and vitality, he said to the passing-out officers, "You will add new impetus to the Department and hold the future in your own hands. But you must always remember to conduct yourselves with integrity, honesty, fairness and unselfishness, and be committed to serving the country and the people. You should also be brave and determined without fear of hardship or sacrifice, and always take a broad and long-term view. By trying your best to achieve the goal of working for the well-being of the public, you will live up to the expectations of the community and the Department."
Finally, Mr Peh ended his reflections with a Chinese saying: "Men of noble character serve the country while small-minded men serve their own interests. Those who serve the country put the people first while those who serve their own interests put themselves first. Men of wisdom have lofty aspirations guided by a broad vision and unparallelled insights. Only through a broad vision and unparallelled insights can the law of nature and the will of the people be satisfied."
Taking part in today's passing-out parade were 21 Immigration Officers and 23 Immigration Assistants who had successfully completed induction training.
Ends/Thursday, March 24, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:05
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