GRS 500
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 15120OZ FCO
TELNO 160
OF 15105OZ JANUARY 86 INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
98
CONFIDENTIAL
нки особи
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
15 JAN 1986
REGISTRY
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
109
OP CARY
ཀུམས་
YOUR TELNO 92: NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL : PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE.
1. IN RESPONSE TO MY ASSURANCE THIS MORNING THAT MIHISTERS WOULD BE MAKING IT CLEAR THAT THEIR MINDS ARE NOT CLOSED ON THESE ISSUES, UNOFFICIALS JUDGED THAT IT WAS LIKELY THAT LEGCO UNOFFICIALS WOULD NOT TAKE AN IMMEDIATE DECISION ON FRIDAY TO SEND A DELEGATION TO LONDON, BUT THEY COULD NOT BE CERTAIN OF THIS.
2. I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THE ACCOUNT OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN PAPA
5 OF YOUR TELNO 85 IS TO PROVIDE THE BASIS ON WHICH MINISTERS WILL SPEAK IN THE DEBATE BUT SHOWED THIS ACCOUNT INFORMALLY TO THE COUNCIL THIS MORNING TO GET THERE ASSESSMENT OF HOW IT WOULD BE
RECEIVED HERE.
3. MEMBERS RECONGNISED THAT THE EXTENSION OF FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP EN BLOC TO THE MINORITY COMMUNITIES RAISED THE GREATEST TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES FOR HMG AND DID NOT OFFER COMMENT ON THIS SECTION.
(SECTION B).
4. ON PARAGRAPH (C) (EX-SERVICEMEN) ONE MEMBER WHO HAS BEEN CLOSELY INVOLVED WITH THE EX-SERVICEMEN (AND HIMSELF PENDERED SERVICE DURING THE WAR) CAUTIONED AGAINST USING THE SUGGESTION THAT THE ''VAST MAJORITY WERE UNLIKELY TO FALL UNDER SECTION 4(5). IT WAS HIS IMPRESSION THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE INVOLVED WOULD HAVE SEEN SERVICE IN THE HONG KONG VOLUNTEERS, AND IN OTHER CROWN SERVICE.
5. NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE ARGUMENTS ADVANCED UNDER (A) (PASSPORT ENDORSEMENT) CARRIED NO CONVICTION. MEMBERS POINTED OUT THAT GOVERNMENTS REGULARLY TAKE DECISIONS WHICH IN EFFECT COMMIT THEIR SUCCESSORS AND THAT THIS DOES NOT PRECLUDE THE SUCCESSOR GOVERNMENT (OR EVEN THE SAME GOVERNMENT) FROM AMENDING THAT DECISION IF THERE IS A RADICAL CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES. (THEY WERE NOT PROPOSING THAT HMG SHOULD SUGGEST THAT SUCH A RADICAL CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT OCCUR: THEY WERE SIMPLY POINTING TO THE WEAKNESS OF THE ARGUMENT.) THEY FOUND SINGULARLY UNCONVINCING THE IDEA THAT PLACING THE ENDORSEMENT IN THE ORIGINAL PASSPORT WOULD INVOLVE AN IRREVOCABLE COMMITMENT AS REGARDS ITS PENEWAL. SIP S Y CHUNG POINTED OUT THAT HE HELD A PASSPORT CLASSIFYING HIM AS A CITIZEN OF THE UK AND COLONIES. THAT HAD NOT PREVENTED HMG FROM CHANGING HIS STATUS, COMPLETELY TO THAT OF BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITOPIES CITIZEN AND
CONFIDENTIAL
/GIVING