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SECRET
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66,
10.
Our proposals to the Home Office should therefore be in such
a form as to:
a) reassure Hong Kong as much as possible;
b) be simple, avoiding multiple amendments;
c) discourage so far as possible a flood of early applications
from a wide range of people and reassure the Home Office that
this will not happen.
11. We should therefore start by explaining Hong Kong's maximum
demands as in paragraph 6, 7 and 11 of Hong Kong Telegram No 129.
We will not achieve these but the purpose is to demonstrate to Hong
Kong that we have put the totality of their points to the Home Office.
We should then move to a simple additional sub-clause to Schedule 1
as suggested in paragraph 7 but without amendment to Paragraph 1(3).
This would provide some assurance to Civil Servants and Unofficials
that they could be looked after in 'special circumstances' - ie a
Chinese take-over, but would be less likely to invite immediate
applications.
12. The Governor's request for additional assurance to Citizens
of the British Dependent Territories in the Bill is likely to meet
strong resistance from the Home Office.
We should therefore
suggest to the Home Office that this be covered in a separate
assurance by Ministers.
13. Even these diluted proposals may well run into difficulties
We may therefore have to fall back in the end on generalised assurances,
even for Crown Servants. But we should support the Governor strongly
in trying to get amendments to the Bill; officials should report again
to Ministers after discussion with the Home Office.
18 February 1981
Woun
R'D Clift
Hong Kong and General Department
SECRET