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SECRET
NEW NATIONALITY LEGISLATION: POSITION OF LOCALLY-ENGAGED CIVIL SERVANTS AND UNOFFICIALS IN HONG KONG
1.
Senior locally-engaged Hong Kong Civil Servants and Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils
(UMELCO) wish the Nationality Bill to be amended so as not to exclude the possibility of their eventual naturalisation as British Citizens. They want this provision so that those whose public service under the Crown would make them particularly exposed in the event of a Chinese take-over of Hong Kong would not be left without a satisfactory nationality status and a possible safe haven. They have the Governor's strong support.
2.
Possible solutions range from amendments to the Bill to some
form of assurance by HMG that these people would at the Home
Secretary's discretion be allowed to enter the United Kingdom
in an emergency.
3.
a)
Amendments to the Bill
The preferred Hong Kong solution is to remove the words
'under the government of the United Kingdom' from paragraph 1(3)
of Schedule 1 to the Bill. This would mean that all Crown
Servants in Dependent Territories who met the other requirements
of paragraph♣ 1(1)
of the Schedule would be eligible
to apply for naturalisation as British citizens under the
Bill. This solution would present difficulties. It implies
a very wide category. In the case of Hong Kong, it could be argued to apply to up to 130,000 Crown Servants, Police, etc
(not including dependents). It would enable them at any
time to seek naturalisation as British Citizens (who would have
the right of entry to the United Kingdom after the enactment
of the Bill). Admittedly very few would in practice be granted
naturalisation but the amendment would still be open to attack
in Parliament. This solution would not cover Unofficials.
SECRET
/b)