TO LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN, IT WAS ARGUED, WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE NOT ONLY THE MOST FAVOURABLE AGREEMENT, BUT ALSO THAT THERE WOULD BE NO EXODUS FROM HONG KONG.
4.69
OTHER POINTS MADE RELATED TO THE NEED FOR BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION FOR 3DTCS AND THEIR FIRST GENERATION DESCENDANTS IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997, THE FEELING OF BETRAYAL BY THOSE WHO HAD ACQUIRED BDTC STATUS BY NATURALIZATION, AND THE UNHAPPY SITUATION OF NON-CHINESE BDTCS WHO HAVE SEVERED THEIR LINKS WITH THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. THERE WERE SOME EXPRESSIONS OF RELIEF AT THE ASSURANCES GIVEN BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THAT SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE LATTER GROUPWOULD BE CONSIDERED, BUT DESCENDANTS BORN AFTER 1997.
4.70
''WE DO NOT CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO HONG KONG FOR OUR OWN SAKE. HOWEVER, WE WORRY FOR OUR CHILDREN'*
A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS
NOT ALL WERE AS BITTER ON THE NATIONALITY ISSUE, FOR EXAMPLE SEVERAL WHO SPOKE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DEBATE OR AT DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS CONSIDERED THE ARRANGEMENTS TO THE BEST POSSIBLE IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, ALTHOUGH SOME COMMENTED THAT BECAUSE THEY WERE CONTAINED IN AN EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDA RATHER THAN IN THE ANNEXES TO THE JOINT DECLARATION, THEY COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS LEGALLY BIDING AS THE OTHER POINTS OF THE DRAFT AGREEMENT.
4.71
THERE WAS A WIDELY SHARED HOPE ON THE PART OF ALL WHO CONCERNED THEMSELVES WITH THE QUESTIONS OF NATIONALITY AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT MAY FIND A WAY OF PROVIDING FULLER ASSURANCES FOR BDTCS IN THE COMING YEARS.
CHAPTER 5 : SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
5.1
REACTION TO THE INVITATION TO COMMENT ON THE DRAFT AGREEMENT HAS BEEN VIGOROUS AND SUSTAINED AND THE VIEWS RECEIVED PROVIDED A CREDIBLE BASIS ON WHICH TO MAKE AN ASSESSMENT (PARAS 2.8, 2.24, 2.28) :
THE RESPONSE HAS COME FROM A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF
THE COMMUNITY. (PARAS. 2.8
2.23)
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED HAVE IN THE MAIN BEEN WELL PRESENTED AND CAREFULLY THOUGHT OUT. (PARA. 2.8)
THE NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS FROM ALL SOURCES, BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT, TOTALS 3,557: OF THESE 2,494 HAVE BEEN SENT DIRECTLY TO THE OFFICE AND 1,063 ARE ITEMS MONITORED THROUGH THE MEDIA (PARAS. 2.12, 2.19,
2.21, 2.23)
SECRET-47-
lOF.