SING PAO CRITICISED THE CHINESE TRANSLATION FOR THE WHITE PAPER. IT MAINTAINED THAT THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENT WAS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO PARLIAMENT AND THAT THE STATUS OF HK CHINESE WOULD BE DECIDED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION INSTEAD OF BY THE WHITE PAPER. THE ONLY POINT THE LOCAL POULATION COULD COMMENT ON WAS THE PROVISION CONCERNING BOCS HERE.
COMMUNIST PAPERS.
WE WEI PO SAID IN A COMMENTARY THAT ALTHOUGH THE WHITE PAPER TALKED ABOUT THE BN (0) PASSPORT, THE REAL ISSUE WAS HK PEOPLE'S TRAVEL CONVENIENCE. IN ANY CASE, BOTH THE BDTC PASSPORT AND THE FUTURE BN(0) PASSPORT DID NOT GIVE ITS HOLDER THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN BRITIAN. THE WHITE PAPER SHOULD BE VIEWED FROM TWO ANGLES. FIRST, WHETHER IT WAS IN LINE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION: AND SECOND, WHETHER IT WOULD GIVE THE HOLDER CONVENIENCE IN TRAVELLING ABROAD. AT THE MOMENT, HOLDERS OF BDTC PASPORTS EXPERIENCED GREATER DIFFICULTIES IN TRAVELLING TO BRITAIN THAN TO OTHER COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES. SHOULDN'T THIS BE IMPORVED, THE PAPER QUESTIONED.
THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS SAID IN AN EDITORIAL THAT PAS FOR
SECURITY REGINA IP WAS TOO OPTIMISTIC IN HER ESTIMATE THAT ABOUT 80 COUNTRIES WOULD ACCEPT THE BN(0) PASSPORT. THE PAPER ENVISAGED THAT THERE WOULD BE ACCEPTANCE PROBLEMS AND A MAIN REASON WAS THAT
THE PASSPORT WOULD NOT STATE DIRECTLY THAT THE HOLDER HAD THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HK. THE PAPER WONDERED WHETHER HK PEOPE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ALONG THEIR SAR ID CARD WHEN TRAVELLING ABROAD TO PROVE
THEIR RIGHT OF ABODE HERE..
ENDS.
YOUDE
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
ED/NTD
RESEARCH D (MR WALKER)
DEP HD/PUSD
PS
PS/R RENTON
PS/LADY YOUNG
PS/PUS
SIR W HARDING MR WILSON
COPIES TO:
MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT
LR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS
AR GRAINGER, LEGAL ADVISERS
ME MILLER, MVD
MR HYDE, HOME OFFICE
MR EMERY, B4 DIV, HOME OFFICE, CROYDON
MF. NICHOLSON, PASSPORT DEPT, HOME OFFIC
ROOM 236, CLIVE HOUSE.
MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS
Hona Kora GOVT. OFFICE
RESTRICTED