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authorise the telegram for despatch.
By that time we shall
also have had a reaction from the Home Office.
4.
In addition, I recommend that Mr Renton should discuss
the problem with Mr Waddington (who will lead for the Home
Office in the debate) before the end of the week. There are
three points to be discussed. On all the Home Office must
take the lead, but they are inevitably somewhat isolated from
the strength of feeling in Hong Kong and the political
considerations that lie behind it. The three issues are:
Yes.
ii)
i) a "no visa" endorsement in the new BNO passport;
whether a concession could be made to give full
UK citizenship to those non-ethnic Chinese who
under present arrangements will either have to
become Chinese or become stateless two generations after 1997; and
iii)
whether special arrangements for full UK
citizenship could be made for those who have served
the Crown in HM Forces during the war.
Of these (ii) is the only issue of real substance although (i) is likely to be argued equally passionately. On (iii)
a concession would cost HMG little: the number involved is
very small (about 400) and diminishing steadily by natural
causes. I suspect that most MPs will focus on (ii), with a good deal of emotional sympathy expressed on (iii) and some support for the UMELCO position on (i) from those who will
argue in simplistic terms that a "no visa" endorsement is a
plain statement of fact. Ministers will wish to consider
whether they wish to have a preliminary meeting with some of the interested and influential MPs from the Hong Kong group:
I think this would be useful.
Cc:
Sir W Harding FED
D C Wilson
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