Beijing asks consulates in HK for info on local staff

Beijing's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong has asked all consulates in the city to submit personal information of all locally employed staff within one month, including their residential address and identification details.

A letter from the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry was sent to all consulates on Monday, requesting them to provide personal information of their local employees by October 18.

The office yesterday confirmed it sent a note to consulates requesting the submission of relevant local employee information.

"This measure is in line with international customary practice," it said in a statement to Reuters.

"It is understood that Chinese consulates stationed abroad also provide local employee information to the host country according to local government requirements."

According to the bilingual letter, the consulates have to submit information of all local employees - both permanent Hong Kong residents and nonpermanent residents holding any kind of visa - including their names, job titles, employment date, residential address, ID card or passport numbers, nationality and a copy of their ID cards or passports.

Consulates will need to submit new employee information within 15 days of the recruitment.

In line with the "Vienna convention on consular relations, the consulates general and the office of the European Union are requested to provide information on all locally engaged who have entered into employment contract," the letter read.

The letter also contained two forms to be filled in with their local staff's details.

One form - "Notification of staff locally engaged" - requires consulates to provide employee information, such as names, positions, residential addresses and identity document numbers.

The other form asks consulates to notify the authorities of any termination of employment status.

The British Consulate General, the US Consulate General, the Delegation of the European Union and the Consulate General of France did not respond to The Standard's inquiry as of 8pm yesterday.

A couple of diplomatic sources confirmed that their consulates had received the documents and said that it was the first time such information had been requested.

"We are still assessing the document and will look into it," one source said. The other source said: "It is the first time we have received this kind of request."

The letter gave consulates until October 18 to "return the completed forms to the Protocol Division."