GROUPS THERE ARE SUB-GROUPS WHICH ARE MOPE DESERVING OF SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION THAN OTHERS.
7. THERE MAY BE SOME THINGS WHICH CAN BE DONE WITHIN EXISTING LAW: AND OTHER WHICH WOULD ONLY BE POSSIBLE BY AMENDMENT. TO SHOW WILLINGNESS TO EXAMINE THESE ISSUES IN DETAIL BEFORE COMING TO CONCLUSIONS WOULD AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF A STONY INDIFFERENCE TO STRONGLY FELT CONCERNS IN HONG KONG.
8. FOP EXAMPLE, *N RESPECT OF EX-SERVICEMEN, YOUR CONCLUSION IS THAT MOST OF THEM WOULD PROBABLY NOT QUALIFY UNDER SECTION *(5). IN OTHEP WORDS THERE MIGHT HAVE TO BE SPECIAL PROVISIONS TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE EX-SERVICEMEN WHOSE SERVICE WAS UNDER THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UK. WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT HERE WE HAVE NO DETAILED INFORMATION ON THESE EX-SERVICEMEN: AND TO AVOND RAISING FALSE EXPECTATIONS, WE HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO APPRROACH THE ASSOCIATIONS TO GET THE INFORMATION. IF THERE WAS A PROSPECT THAT DESERVING CASES WOULD BE CONSIDERED SYMPATHETICALLY WE COULD ASK FOR THE INFORMATION AND CONSIDER +T WITH YOU AND THE HOME OFFICE. THE NUMBER *** PRACTICE WILL NOT TURN OUT TO BE SIGNIFICANT. AT THE VERY MAXIMUM ONLY 400 EX-SERVICEMEN ARE LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED.
9. ALSO IN RESPECT OF THE MINORITIES, HT COULD WELL BE THAT SOME CASES WILL BE VERY MUCH MORE DESERVING THAN OTHERS. FOR EXAMPLE THERE MAY BE SOME INDIANS WHO MAY HAVE COME HERE RECENTLY: WHO VOLUNTARILY CHOSE TO FOREGO THEIR INDIAN NATIONALITY AND THEIR PIGHT OF ABODE *N INDIA IN ORDER TO COME TO HONG KONG, AND WHO COULD RESUME IT IF THEY CHOSE. SOME MAY ALREADY HAVE OTHER PASSPORTS. THERE WILL BE OTHERS WHO CAME HERE BEFORE THE LAST WAR AS PART OF THE BRITISH FORCES OR TO SERVE IN THE HONG KONG POLICE OR PRISON SERVICE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY DECIDED TO SETTLE IN HONG KONG OP WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MANY GENERATIONS. IT COULD BE ARGUED THAT HMG'S RESPONSIBILITY VARIED FROM GROUP TO GROUP.
10. FURTHER TO PARA & ABOVE, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MINORITIES, THE ARGUMENTS IN PARAGRAPHS 19 AND 20 OF YOUR TELMO 33 MISS THE POINT THE MINORITIES AND UNOFFICIALS HAVE BEEN MAKING. ON THE ONE HAND NONE OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITIES THEY ARE BEING OFFERED BRING WITH THEM A RIGHT OF ABODE. ON THE OTHER HAND THE RIGHT OF ABODE SOME OF THEM ARE PROVIDED WITH UNDER THE JOINT DECLARATION DOES NOT GO WITH A NATIONALITY. THIS IS BOUND TO AFFECT THE STANDING OF THE IP TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THEIR NATIONAL STATUS. BY CONTRAST, THE ETHNIC CHINESE IN HONG KONG WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY CHINESE NATIONALS WITH THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN CHINA OP IN THE SAR.
11. #F MINISTERS WERE READY TO ASK FOR A MORE DETAMED EXAMINATION AT OFFICIAL LEVEL OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TWO GROUPS AND OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEIR CONCERNS MIGHT BE MET WITHIN EXISTING LEGISLATION AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THIS COULD ONLY BE DONE BY AMENDED LEGISLATION, # WOULD WELCOME AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEND A TEAM TO LONDON TO DISCUSS THE DETAILS AND IN PARTICULAR TO TRY AND #DENTIFY THE CASES HIN BOTH GROUPS THAT DESERVE SYMPATHETIC
CONSIDERATION.
12. THE LINE WHICH COULD THEN BE TAKEN IN THE OPENING SPEECH IN THE DEBATE WOULD BE
(A) THE ENDORSEMENT IN THE PASSPORT
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT UNAMBIGUOUSLY WELCOMES BONA FIDE VISITORS FROM HONG KONG, HMG ALSO FULLY APPRECIATES THE SIGNIFICANCE FOR HONG KONG BN(0) PASSPORT HOLDERS OF HAVING AN APPROPRIATE ENDORSEMENT REGARDING THE ENTRY OF MISITORS TO THE UK IN THE PASSPORT. THEY ARE SYMPATHETIC TO THE #DEA OF AN ENDORSEMENT PROVIDED IT WERE COMBINED
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