Not Allowed to Visit HK from Shanghai

I am not allowed to go to HK!

We planned to go to HK next month, so I called the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau to enquire how I can get the pass because as far as I know the Chinese mainland people who want to go to Hk or Macao need to apply for a special pass, without it you are not allowed to enter Hk or Macao. As a Chinese passport holder, I thought I naturally need to apply for a pass.

Surprisingly I got the following answer from the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration Bureau: The new policy which just came in yesterday (April 6th, 2006) says that anyone like me who is  a Chinese passport holder and a permanent resident of other countries is not allowed to visit HK or Macao unless I have an air ticket of going back to the country where I live and stop over in HK (for 24 hours I guess). They refused to give me any further explanation by saying they are just simply implementing the policy. I couldn't believe my ears and called again and spoke to a different person, but got the same answer.

I am totally confused and can't comprehend the logic behind it. A person who holds a Shanghai ID card can get the pass within 10 days and visit HK; a foreign passport holder such as Australian, English can go to HK without a pass; a person like me who submitted the Shanghai ID card before immigrating overseas according to the regulation can't get a pass and can't visit HK.

Before the new policy was implemented, people like me are allowed to visit HK only with a tour group, not individually. Therefore lots of people had to buy tour package invoice from some tourist agent to prove that they are with a tour group. Now I don't even have that choice. I have no choice.

I also learn that if a person who lives in Shanghai and doesn't have a Shanghai ID wants to visit HK, they can't apply for a pass in Shanghai, instead they have to go back to the place where their "Hukou" is (meaning where their ID is issued.) For example if a person has an ID issued in Xinjiang, he/she has to go back to Xinjiang to get the pass. A return ticket from Shanghai to Xinjiang will cost about RMB5000, not to mention all the time (at least ten days) and effort involved.

Can anyone please explain the logic for me if you understand? I am very confused and annoyed and even a bit upset. If I can visit UK, France and any other countries that I choose to, why I can't visit HK and Macao which are part of my own country???

Comments

[walter]

sorry for this
China has some "logical" problems sometimes... I hope that, with the same madness, they set new rules very soon: better ones
w

[Sabrina]

I went to the official Shanghai police website http://gaj.sh.gov.cn/webcases/zxzx/list.asp?deptid=3 (they provide online Q&A service) and learnt that if I go to a third country via HK, I can stay there up to 7 days. For example if I get a ticket to Malaysia via HK, I am allowed to visit and stay in HK.

Good news, but I still do not understand the logic of why I am not allowed to visit HK directly.