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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING
ч
: HONG KONG AGREEMENT : NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL
MIPT
TEXT OF THE REPORT IN SCMP OF 19 OCTOBER IS AS FOLLOWS
-
BEGINS
'HEADING:
DESCENDANTS WILL BE STATELESS'. 'PASSPORTS' ATTACKED BY
INDIANS
THE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS HAS CONDEMNED THE
HONGKONG PASSPORT PROPOSALS.
1
IT SAYS THEY OFFER ETHNIC INDIANS 'WATERED-DOWN'' FORMS OF
NATIONALITY AFTER 1997 THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BECOME NO NATIONALITY.
IN A STRONGLY-WORDED STATEMENT YESTERDAY, COUNCIL PRESIDENT
MR HARI HARILELA MADE IT CLEAR INDIANS IN HONGKONG ARE ANGRY ABOUT
THE NATIONALITY PROPOSALS.
AND ALTHOUGH MOST CONSULATES IN HONGKONG REFRAINED FROM COMMENTING IN PUBLIC, SEVERAL ENVOYS PRIVATELY EXPRESSED
RESERVATIONS ON THE ISSUE.
ONE DIPLOMAT SAID BRITAIN HAS SO FAR ONLY MADE ''A RATHER SKIMPY REFERENCE'' TO SEEKING INTERNATIONAL ACKOWLEDGMENT OF THE PROPOSED
TRAVEL DOCUMENT.
''THERE APPEARS TO BE LITTLE THERE ABOUT CONSIDERING THE SITUATION FOR THIRD NATIONS WHO WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT THESE PASSPORT
HOLDERS. HE SAID.
A WHITE PAPER RELEASED ON THURSDAY OUTLINES PROPOSALS FOR THE ISSUE OF NEW BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORTS TO BE USED
BEYOND 1997.
IN HIS STATEMENT, MR HARILELA SAID: THE COUNCIL DOUBTS WHETHER THERE HAS BEEN ANY PRECEDENT IN HISTORY WHEREBY SUCH A SMALL GROUP
OF PEOPLE IS BEING EFFECTIVELY DEPRIVED OF CITIZENSHIP BY THE
CONTINUED REVISIONS OF A COUNTRY'S NATIONALITY LAWS.''
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