DAB To Urge PLA, Central Govt Jobs For Hongkongers

The DAB said on Wednesday that it is going to ask Beijing to allow Hongkongers to sign up for the People's Liberation Army, or to encourage SAR residents to serve the country in a different way, by joining the mainland's civil service.

The pro-establishment party said it is going to put the proposals forward at next month's meetings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

DAB chairwoman Starry Lee, who’s a new member of the CPPCC, said another of their ideas is for a "Hong Kong village" to be created in Guangdong province, to help ease the territory's housing shortage.

Another proposal from the DAB is for the Home Return Permit to be turned into a mainland identity card. The party said it believes it will make things easier for city residents who want to work and study on the mainland.

However Lee said the political gatherings may not be suitable venue to discuss matters like the detention of Causeway bookseller Gui Minhai or the whereabouts of Liu Xia, the wife of late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobao.