JAN 17 '86 16:59 GIS HK
Ник очоли
RECEIVEL REGISTRY
2 4 JAN 1986
Statement by Unofficial Members of the
Executive and Legislative Councils
on 17 January 1986
*FFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
The Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative
Councils had a meeting this afternoon to consider the views expressed in the debate in the House of Commons last night on the
draft Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986.
First of all, we would like to express our appreciation
to those Members of Parliament who have reflected in the debate
the anxieties and wishes of the people of Hong Kong which we have expressed to them. We should also like to take this opportunity
to express our thanks to the many British MPs who have replied to qur letter of the 3rd January, many of them endorsing the views
we put forward.
We are profoundly disappointed about the British Government's attitude on the compelling case of the non-ethnic
Chinese minorities and ex-servicemen. The British Government
have failed to discharge their moral responsibility to British nationals who have made valuable contributions to Britain and the
Commonwealth. The world at large will be the judge of this act. As Paddy Ashdown MP said in the Commons' debate "it would be a complete abandonment of Britain's right to be called a civilized nation if (the British Government) do not do something to correct
this".
We note that the British Government "are considering with sympathy" how to meet our proposal regarding an endorsement in the future BN (0) passport which would make clear the right of bona fide travellers to freely visit the United Kingdom. We totally reject the point made by the British Government that putting an endorsement in the passport "might mislead and give