GRS 450
RESTRICTED
Fil HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1233
OF 24103OZ APPIL 86
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
RESTUSTE
NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL : PRESS COVERAGE
SUMMARY
BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS TODAY GAVE PROMINENT
AND DETAILED COVERAGE TO THE HOME SECRETARY'S REPLY TO THE THREE
REQUESTS FROM LECCO. THE HOME SECRETARY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE
DECISIONS WAS ALSO THE HEADLINES ADOPTED BY RADIO AND TV LATE LAST
NIGHT.
2. COVERGAE IS LARGELY FACTUAL. NO EDITORIAL COMMENTS HAVE
YET APPEARED. PREDICTABLY REACTIONS OF THE ENGLISH AND THE
CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS DIFFERED. THE FORMER WAS MORE CONCERNED
WITH THE REJECTIONOF LEGCO'S REQUEST IN RESPECT OF THE MINORITIES
THE LATTER FOCUSSED MORE ON THE ENDORESEMENT AND THE CONCESSION
IN RESPECT OF FORMER SERVICEMEN.
DETAIL
A. CHINESE-LANGUAGE PRESS
3. ALL CHINESE-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS (TA KUNG PO AND WEN WEI PO
INCLUDED) ADOPTED AS THEIR HEADLINES HMG'S AGREEMENT TO LEGCO'S
REQUEST FOR AN ENDORSEMENT IN IN(0) PASSPORTS INDICATING THAT THE
HOLDER DOES NOT REQUIRE A VISA TO ENTER THE UK: AND THE GRANT OF BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO FORMER SERVICEMEN. ALL OF THEM REPORTED
HMG'S REJECTION OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES' REQUEST FOR BRITISH CITIZENSHIP (INCLUDING HMG'S ARGUMENTS FOR REJECTING THEIR REQUEST
IN FAIRLY GREAT DETAIL IN MANY CASES). ONLY ONE OF THEM (SING TAO
JIH PAO) REPORTED DISSATISFACTION FROM THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF
INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS. THERE WEPE SOME SLIGHT UNACCURACIES IN THAT ONE NEWSPAPER (HONG KONG COMMERCIAL DAILY) REPORTED THAT ONLY ONE REQUEST FROM LEGCO HAD BEEN ACCEPTED WHILE ANOTHER (MING PAO) REPORTED THAT ONLY SIXTY EX-SERVICEMEN WOULD BE ALLOWED TO SETTLE IN THE UK.
4. OTHER THEMES THAT DOMINATED THE COVERAGE BY THE CHINESE-LANGUAGE
PRESS ARE AS FOLLOWS
A) CHIEF SECRETARY'S REACTION WELCOMING HMG'S ACCEPTANCE OF TWO OF LEGCO'S REQUESTS, AND DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE HOME SECRETARY'S POSITIVE ASSURANCES OF SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION OF THE MINORITIES'
CASE SHOULD THEY COME UNDER ANY PRESSURE TO LEAVE HONG KONG AFTER 1997:
سا