UMELCO
STATEMENT BY HON LYDIA DUNN, CBE, LLD, JP LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 29.1.86
IN Powell 236
DRAFT HONG KONG (BRITISH NATIONALITY) ORDER 1986
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with your permission, Sir, I should like to make a
statement as a matter of prime concern to me and to my Unofficial
colleagues. we
are still awaiting the outcome to the calls made
in this Council for implementation of the proposals set out in my letter dated 3rd January 1986 which was tabled in this Council a
fortnight ago. However, my colleagues and I have noted the Minister of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, Mr Timothy
Renton's assurance on 24th January that Her Majesty's Government
will agree to our request for an endorsement in the new BNO passport which would make clear that holders of these passports will not require entry visas to the United Kingdom for bona fide
visits. We also welcome the news that a team of Hong Kong
Government Officials will visit London to provide further
information on the non-ethnic minorities and the status of
ex-servicemen. These are positive initiatives in response to the serious concern in Hong Kong about these important matters and we
welcome them.
The Minister of State has said that the endorsement in
the passport is subject to a satisfactory formula being found. We are sure that this can be worked out. As I said before,
"where there is a will, there is a way."
a will, there is a way." I should like to make
clear yet again that we
we do not seek to be exempted from normal immigration formalities. On that point, there is no
no difference
between our position and that of the British Government.
We are encouraged by the Minister's assurance that
"minds are not closed" in Westminster on the plight of the
non-ethnic minorities and ex-servicemen. We hope that ways and
means of meeting fully their concerns will be explored in the light of the information provided by the Hong Kong team of
Government Officials.
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