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The Hong Kong-based Apple Daily carried a controversial full page advertisement Wednesday demanding the local government stop pregnant women from the mainland from entering the special administrative region (SAR) to give birth, sparking a fierce online debate.
The incident came amid several disputes between people in the two areas, which reflected growing mainland phobia in the SAR and continuous debate on national identity.
The ad features a huge locust over Hong Kong's skyline with a headline saying, "Do you want Hong Kong to pay $1,000,000 every 18 minutes to raise babies whose parents are not permanent residents here?"
"Hongkongers have had enough!" the ad claimed, adding that people there have tolerated mainlanders' craze for "safe baby formula, self-guided tours and advanced educational resources," among other things.
"Please respect local culture when you come to Hong Kong," it said, demanding the local government amend laws to block mainland pregnant women from flooding in.
Online group Golden Forum funded the page-11 ad with donations from users of its Internet chat service.
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