5. THERE ARE ABOUT 10,000 NON-CHINESE BDTCS IN HONG KONG INCLUDING
ROUGHLY 3000 INDIANS. AND UNKOWN NUNSEPS OF BENGLADESHI AND
PORTUGUESE. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 200 PARSEES IN
HONG KONG (PARSEES ARE LEADING INDIANS OF THE ZOROASTRIAN SECT,
INCLUDING MANY GREAT NAMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN THE
FAR EAST IN THE 19TH CENTURY). THE HONG KONG PRISONERS OF
WAR ASSOCIATION CLAIMS TO REPRESENT A SMALL NUMBER (ABOUT 100) OF
FORMER MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG VOLUNTEER DEFENCE CORPS (NOW THE
ROYAL HONG KONG REGIMENT (THE VOLUNTEERS)) WHO FOUGHT IN DEFENCE OF
HONG KONG IN 1941 AND BECAME PRISONERS OF WAR OF THE JAPANESE
FROM DECEMBER 1941 SEPTEMBER 1945.
6. TO ALLEVIATE CONCERNS WITH STATELESSNESS EXPRESSED BY THE ETHNIC MINORITIES IN HONG KONG, PROMINENTLY THE HONG KONG COUNCIL
OF INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS. BARONESS YOUNG HAS. DURING THE DEBATE ·
ON THE HONG KONG BILL IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS IN MARCH THIS YEAR.
INDICATED THAT THE UK GOVERNMENT WOULD INTRODUCE PROVISIONS TO
ENABLE THE GRANDCHILDREN OF FORMER HONG KONG BOTOS TO HAVE AN
ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTER AS BOCS WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS OF THEIR BIRTH
(ARTICLE 6(3) (5) OF THE DRAFT ORDER). AT THE SAME TIME SHE
RE-ITERATED THAT AS A GENERAL PRINCIPLE IT WOULD BE IMPROPER TO
GRANT BRITISH NATIONALITY INDEFINITELY AND WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS TO
DESCENDENTS OF BRITISH NATIONALS RESIDENT IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF INDIA ASSOCIATIONS EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THIS CONCESSION. BUT HAS CONTINUED TO PRESS FOR RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK FOR THEIR MEMBERS AND THE SAME FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
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7. THE ARGUMENTS FOR GRANT OF RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK PUT FORWARD
BY THESE GROUPS ARE -
(A) THEY ARE LIKELY TO BECOME STATELESS AND WITHOUT A PLACE TO CALL
THEIR HOME AFTER BRITISH WITHDRAWAL IN 1997:
(3) THEY HAVE LONG RESIDENCE IN HONG KONG, MADE SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG AND CLOSE TIES WITH
THE BRITISH EMPIRE:
(C) THEY NEED RIGHT OF ABODE OUTSIDE HONG KONG AS A SAFEGUARD AGAINST POSSIBLE PERSECUTION OR DISCRIMINATION AFTER 1997.
LINE TO TAKE.
8. THE COUNTER-ARGUMENTS ARE
(A) NO PERSON WHO IS A 3DTC ON 30 JUNE 1997 WILL BECOME STATELESS AS THE RESULT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. IN NON-CHINESE BDTCS FAIL TO BECOME BN (0)S AND HAVE NO OTHER NATIONALITY, THEY WILL BECOME BOCS: SC WILL THEIR CHILDREN DORN AFTER 1 JULY 1997:
(B) THEIR GRANDCHILDREN BORN AFTER 1 JULY 1997 WOULD HAVE AN ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTER AS BOCS WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS OF THEIR BIRTH IF THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS. THUS THERE WOULD BE PROVISIONS FOR BRITISH NATIONALITY TO BE GRANTED TO THE DESCENDENTS OF HONG KONG BDTCS UP TO THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT CENTURY:
CONTIDENTIAL
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