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The Government has to study in detail the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) ruling on the Ng Siu Tung and Sin Hoi Chu cases before giving a response, a Government spokesman said when he was asked to respond to the CFA judgment delivered this (January 10) morning.

The spokesman called on right of abode claimants to stay calm. To help those in need of counselling, the Social Welfare Department has arranged 24-hour hotlines to provide counselling service. The telephone numbers are 2343 2255 and 18288.

"As parties to the litigation, the claimants, like us, would need to discuss with their lawyers and go through the judgment carefully to examine its implications on them.

"We are maintaining close liaison with their representatives and will meet them tomorrow morning once both sides have taken time to consider the judgment," he said.

End/Thursday, January 10, 2002

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