Yesterday, six members of the Macau Federation of Family Reunion (MFFR) travelled to Hong Kong in an attempt to deliver a letter to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the city and also to Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), who is currently visiting the city (see page 11).
The MFFR delegation, all in their 60s, expect their journey to draw the attention of the central government to the issues concerning the “overage children” of Macau residents. These children are forced to stay in the mainland as they are ineligible to apply for special permits to reunite with their parents in Macau.
When discussing the journey to Hong Kong, Lei Iok Lan, President of the MFFR, stated: “We really have no choice, thus we are up this blind alley.” Lan further stated that, together with other members of the MFFR, she has continuously been participating in demonstrations at the Senado Square for almost three months.
Nevertheless, these actions have not triggered any response from the government to date. “I hope the government can solve the problem as soon as possible,” declared Lei, who also noted that delivering the letter is not intended to create controversy in Hong Kong.
There are currently 2,313 overage children, from approximately 1,200 local families, living in mainland China. Of these, 1,710 are aged 25 to 44, with the majority located in Guangdong and Fujian. According to Fujian born lawmaker Chan Meng Kam, a majority of these children are well educated and have significant experience, both of which could be valuable assets if they enter Macau’s labour market. Staff reporter
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