7. MVD have told us
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are
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that some overseas governments becoming increasingly reluctant to continue to extend the benefits of VAA's to British nationals who do not have the right of abode in the UK. An early testing point could be our forthcoming negotiations with the Netherlands Government who have asked for a renegotiation of our VAA with them. Clearly, a strong argument about future BN (0)'s which we will need to deploy, with the Netherlands or with any other government, is that they will be returnable to Hong Kong. We expect BN (0) passports, when issued, to refer to this. Therefore, countries would in no way be compromising their immigration policies in allowing BN(0) passport holders to enjoy the same facilities as BDTCS. A further point to drive home would be that to encompass BN (0) s within the terms of VAA's would be a helpful measure
of practical support to follow up the widespread acclaim which overseas governments have given to the Hong Kong Agreement.
8.
The Canadians may pose a particular problem. In 1983 the Canadian Government passed an Order in Council precluding the issue of a visitor's visa to any person whose passport or other travel document did not give the holder the right to enter the country on whose authority the document was issued, On this basis the Canadians refuse to grant visas to BOCs, and will presumably also refuse to grant them to BN (0) s. We shall have to try to get round this and to convince the Canadians that Hong Kong is a special case.
9. We were pleased to note that your German and Swedish colleagues are, seemingly against the general current, taking a helpful line on Hong Kong BDTC's (your letters of 28 and 30 March to William Ehrman). We will of bear this in mind as our plans develop.
Yums
Tany
A C Galsworthy
course
Hong Kong Department
Cc:
Mrs Ip, Security Branch, Govt Secretariat, Hong Kong Mr Partridge, NTD
Mr Cambridge, MVD
Mr Grainger, Legal Advisers
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