CONFIDENTIAL
104461
MDLIAN
78
BUSINESSMAN ERIC HOTUNG WAS QUOTED AS URGING HMG TO TREAT THE WAR WIDOWS WITH THE RESPECT THEY DESERVED. HE SAID THAT BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE TO THEIR CLAIM FOR CITIZENSHIP WAS UNBRITISH, SHOWED NO RESPECT FOR MILITARY TRADITION, AND QUOTE ONLY UNDERMINES OUR CREDIBILITY UNQUOTE. VETERAN CAMPAIGNER ON THIS ISSUE JACK EDWARDS REITERATED THAT WAR WIDOWS DESERVED THE SAME FULL BRITISH PASSPORTS
AS THEIR HUSBANDS.
CHINESE REACTION
5. THE DEBATE WAS WELL COVERED BY THE LEFT-WING TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO, INITIALLY IN PURELY FACTUAL COVERAGE. IN SUBSEQUENT COMMENTARIES THE WEN WEI PO (24 MARCH) HAS OBSERVED THAT THE GRANT OF UK PASSPORTS IS AN INTERNAL MATTER FOR THE UK. CHINA WOULD NOT SEEK TO INTERFERE IN SUCH A MATTER: ALSO THE 1981 BNA PREDATED NEGOTIATIONS ON HK'S FUTURE. IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES IN TA KUNG PAO (25-27 MARCH) TONG YUK-HON NOTED THAT ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE LEGAL VIEWPOINT HONG KONG WAS PART OF CHINESE TERRITORY BEFORE AND AFTER 1997. THEREFORE CHINESE CITIZENS LIVING IN HONG KONG WOULD NOT (UNLESS THEY GAVE UP CHINESE NATIONALITY) HAVE THEIR NATIONALITY CHANGED QUOTE BECAUSE OF SOME SORT OF DOCUMENTS GRANTED MILES AWAY BY BRITAIN UNQUOTE.
WILSON
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
56
.HK AGREEMENT NATIONALITY LIMITED
DISTRIBUTION
65
PS
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
HKD
HD/FED
HD /NTD
PUSD
RESEARCH (MR K WALKER)
PS/MR EGGAR
MR GILLMORE
MR MCLAREN
MISS PESTELL
ADDITIONAL
HK GREEMENT NATIONALITY
HKGOL
NNNN
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CONFIDENTIAL