Dear all, this is another example of how distorted news can be published in Goa.
This news article can only have one goal: To confuse even more those who are already confused. I believe the writer is refering to the process of acquiring Portuguese citizenship. Not Portuguese passport. But like so many other people, the writer probably does not know the difference hence this poorly written article which serves no purpose other than confusing those who are already confused. The requirement for presenting an old ID document issued by the Portuguese authorities before 1961 exists since at least 2004. It is not a new requirement. It is old news. At least 2 and half years old and it is meant to eliminate fraud since the presentation of a birth certificate alone cannot actually prove that you are who you claim to be. And as we all know, Indians from all over India have been using false birth certificates to impersonate eligible people. The old ID requirement reduces the possibility of fraud in the documents submitted. About the Portuguese ID card being required for issuing a passport, this was always the case. Portuguese citizens are first issued an ID Card (Bilhete de Identidade) and only after can be issued a passport. Again this is not new. It has always been like This for many many years. Acquiring a passport is different from acquiring citizenship. Our Goans refuse to understand this, hence the confusion generated. The writer compares the case of Goans with Macau born Portuguese citizens and the comparison is completely innapropriate and reveals that the confused author does not know what he is talking about. It would have been better if he had left Macau out of this. The Portuguese government issues Portuguese passports to citizens of Portugal only. You need to be eligible for Citizenship first before being issued a passport. According to Portuguese Nationality Law, persons born in Macau before November 20, 1981 (date of the China-Portugal agreement on the handover of Macau) regardless of the parents' nationalities remain Portuguese citizens. Remain Portuguese! They do not re-acquire Portuguese citizenship but remain Portuguese. Those born in Macau after November 20, 1981 are Portuguese citizens only and only if either parent has Portuguese citizenship. So, it is not right to imply that Portugal has been liberally issuing passports to the Macau Chinese. This is wrong and it is misleading! Best regards Paulo Colaco Dias. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Goanet News Sent: 10 September 2006 17:39 To: [email protected] Subject: [Goanet] Portugal slaps more curbs on passports for Goan residents(Devika Sequeira/Deccan Herald) Portugal slaps more curbs on passports for Goan residents Devika Sequeira [EMAIL PROTECTED] DH News Service -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.2/442 - Release Date: 08/09/2006 _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
