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TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 221 OF 28 JANUARY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
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INFO ROUTINE PEKING, HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEWEYORKED IN AIRY BRUSSELS, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG BILL/NATIONALITY TITLE: PRESS REACTIONS.
SUMMARY:
28 JAN 1983
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1. COVERAGE OF THE HK BILL AND THE NATIONALITY TITLE WAS MODERATE
TODAY AND OVER THE WEEKEND. THE VIEWS OF VARIOUS UMELCO MEMBERS
WERE THE MOST PROMINENT STORY.
NEWS COVERAGE:
2. UMELCO: A STATEMENT BY UMELCO WELCOMING THE NEW NATIONALITY
TITLE WAS WELL COVERED ON SATURDAY. SIR S.Y. CHUNG WELCOMED THE
POSTPONEMENT OF THE THIRD READING OF THE HK BILL BECAUSE IT
ALLOWED HK PEOPLE MORE TIME TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS. HE SAID THAT
UMELCO WOULD MONITOR PUBLIC REACTIONS. SELINA CHOW AND PETER POON
AGREED WITH SUGGESTIONS THAT THE NEW PASSPORT SHOULD CARRY DETAILS
FO HK PEOPLE'S ID CARD NUMBER AND RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG.
MARIA TAM WAS REPORTED AS SAYING THAT UMELCO WOULD NOT SEND A
DELEGATION TO THE COMMONS THIRD READING OF THE HK BILL, BUT WOULD
SEND A DELEGATION TO LONDON FOR THE LORDS DEBATE. SHE SAID THAT
LEGCO WOULD DEBATE THE HONG KONG BILL. ON WEDNESDAY. SHE ALSO
SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO EXPLAIN THE
NEW NATIONALITY TITLE TO THE PUBLIC, AND CLAIMED THAT GOVERNMENT
WOULD MAKE A DECISION SOON'' ON COLLECTING PUBLIC OPINION ON THE
TITLE.
3. GOVERNMENT SPOKESMEN: SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS SAID THAT THE
GOVERNMENT HAD NO PLANS FOR A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT EXERCISE, BUT WOULD COLLECT PUBLIC OPINION ON WELL-ESTABLISHED CHANNELS AND
WOULD FORWARD VIEWS TO THE FCO. A SECURITY BRANCH SPOKESWOMAN
SAID THAT LOCAL RESIDENTS WOULD NOT (NOT) NEED TO CARRY THEIR ID CARDS WHEN TRAVELLING ABROAD. SHE SAID THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN
HONG KONG WOULD BE STATED IN THE NEW PASSPORTS. SHE ADDED THAT
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BDTC STATUS AND BNO STATUS WAS
THAT THE LATTER WAS NOT TRANSMISSIBLE. SHE SAID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD DISCUSS VISA EXEMPTION AGREEMENTS WITH THIRD
COUNTRIES WHEN THE NEW TITLE WAS APPROVED BY PARLIAMENT.
4. POSTPONEMENT: WAH KIU YAT PO (INDEPENDENT) REPORTED THAT THE THIRD READING OF THE HK BILL WOULD NOW TAKE PLACE ON 11 FEBRUARY. TA KUNG PAO REPORTED THAT THE NEW DATE WAS YET TO BE FIXED. THE POSTPONEMENT WAS WELCOMED BY AN URBAN COUNCILLOR AS OFFERING HK PEOPLE MORE TIME TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS.
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