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HMG also agreed in August 1983 that the endorsements which were previously inserted in most BDTC passports, stating that the holder is subject to control under the Immigration Act, 1971, should be omitted and replaced by 'Holder has right of abode in Hong Kong' (or
About 3.25 million Hong Kong the relevant Dependent Territory). residents are BDTCS: the remaining 2.3 million are holders of Hong Kong residence permits which give no citizenship status under UK law.
The Hong Kong Act provided for an Order in Council whereby people who were BDTCs by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong would lose this status on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong ceased to be a British Dependent Territory. The Order in Council, which was debated in Parliament in January and May 1986, and was made on 5 June 1986, came into effect on 1 July 1987. It enables all persons who are BDTCs by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong to acquire a new form of British Nationality, called "British National (Overseas)" (BN(0)), and to retain this
The benefits of BN (0) status are status for the rest of their lives.
broadly similar to those of BDTC status, except that BN (0) status is not transmissible.
The Order in Council also made provision for 2 generations of descendents of former BDTCS, born after 30 June 1997 to acquire another form of British nationality (British Overseas Citizenship) if they risk statelessness.
The Order in Council did not deal with passports, which is a matter under the prerogative and does not require legislation, but it agreed with the Hong Kong Government that passports showing the new status of BN (O) would be issued with effect from the introduction of the status on 1 July 1987. HMG mounted a worldwide diplomatic exercise to explain the new status and passport to third countries.
4.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
Refugees from Vietnam have been arriving by boat in Hong Kong since 1975. In 1979 the influx reached its peak, with over 66,000 refugees Numbers fell sharply arriving during the first 7 months of the year. after the Geneva Conference on Refugees and Displaced Persons on South-East Asia in July 1979, but arrivals since have continued to be substantial. All refugees arriving in small boats (as well as those picked up by vessels belonging to third countries) are offered temporary asylum in Hong Kong. Those who accept are accommodated in camps to await resettlement in third countries. Since 1975 about
some 110,000 have been 120,000 refugees have arrived in Hong Kong; resettled elsewhere, of whom over 62,000 have gone to the USA, and over 13,000 to the UK. About 14,500 displaced Indo-Chinese have been accepted for permanent settlement in Hong Kong.
Since 1982, however, the rate of resettlement has slowed and the
The Hong number of refugees in Hong Kong has tended to increase. Kong Government have since July 1982 placed new arrivals in closed centres, to deter others from leaving Vietnam for Hong Kong. (Previously, refugees were given accommodation in open centres which allowed them the opportunity to seek outside employment in Hong Kong). The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees contributes to the funding of the centres. This policy appears to have had some effect
arrivals for 1983 on the number of refugees arriving in Hong Kong: were 53% down on 1982 figures, compared with a decrease of 36% in the South East Asian region as a whole.