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CONFIDENTIAL

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DD HONG KONG 170100Z

GRS 1107

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 170100Z

FM FCO 161300Z AUGUST 85

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1161 OF 16 AUGUST

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

€324

MIPT AND YOUR TEL NO 1630: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY

ORDER IN COUNCIL

1.

(A)

(I)

FOLLOWING ARE OUR REPLIES TO POINTS IN YOUR TEL NO 1630:

ARTICLE 2(1)(D).

WE

THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT PREVENT A CHILD BORN IN ANOTHER

DEPENDENT TERRITORY BEFORE JULY 1997 FROM BECOMING A BDTC

AT BIRTH UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 15(1) OF THE BNA

1981. IT SIMPLY PROVIDES THAT IF SUCH A CHILD IS SO BORN

TO PARENTS SETTLED IN HONG KONG, HE OR SHE WILL BE REGARDED

AS HAVING A CONNECTION WITH HONG KONG FOR THE PURPOSE OF

THE ORDER AND WILL THEREFORE BE LIABLE TO LOSS OF BDTC

STATUS ON 1 JULY 1997. THIS SEEMS ENTIRELY REASONABLE.

HAVE AGREED THAT A BDTC BORN IN HONG KONG AFTER 1 JANUARY

1983 WHILE HIS OR HER NON-HONG KONG BDTC PARENTS WERE ONLY

THERE TEMPORARILY SHOULD (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) NOT LOSE

BDTC STATUS IN 1997 (ARTICLE 2(3)). CONVERSELY A PERSON

BORN IN ANOTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORY WHILE HIS OR HER HONG

KONG BDTC PARENTS WERE THERE TEMPORARILY (NEXT WORD

UNDERLINED) SHOULD LOSE. OTHERWISE A LARGE LOOPHOLE IS

LEFT IN THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WOULD BENEFIT ONLY THOSE WHO

COULD AFFORD TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.

(II) THE SIMPLE ANSWER IS THAT THE PLACE OF BIRTH MAKES NO

DIFFERENCE AS REGARDS BRITISH NATIONALITY. IF THE CHILDREN

WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS THEY WILL BE BOCS AT BIRTH

UNDER THE TERMS OF ARTICLE 6(2). IF THEY ARE NOT

STATELESS, THEY WILL HOLD WHATEVER FOREIGN NATIONALITY THEY

ACQUIRE AT BIRTH, AND WILL NOT BE BOCS. THEY CANNOT BE

BN(0)S, BECAUSE THAT STATUS CANNOT BE ACQUIRED AFTER

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