SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 3922
OF 280946Z NOVEMBER 89
SECRET
нко 340/18
HONG KONG: NATIONALITY PACKAGE
This
сору
ра br. pe Nint
043204
MDHIAN 6460
Nint = Chinese altitudes.
bu.
IN LIGHT OF DISCUSSIONS DURING MY VISIT TO LONDON EARLIER THIS MONTH, AND PARTICULARLY HOME OFFICE CONCERNS ABOUT PARLIAMENTARY HANDLING OF THE ISSUES AND THE HOME SECRETARY'S QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO GO FOR ENTRY CERTIFICATES RATHER THAN PASSPORTS (AND SO AVOID PRIMARY LEGISLATION), YOU MIGHT FIND IT USEFUL TO HAVE A SUMMARY OF MY VIEWS:
2. THE ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF PASSPORTS AS OPPOSED TO ENTRY CERTIFICATES (HOWEVER FIRMLY GUARANTEED THEY MIGHT NOW APPEAR TO BE) FOR (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) ALL THOSE TO BE COVERED BY THE PACKAGE ARE AS FOLLOWS:-
(1) AN ENTRY CERTIFICATE IS NOT REGARDED AS THE REAL THING. THE HOLDER WILL INEVITABLY WISH TO CASH IT IN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. THIS WOULD AGGRAVATE THE OUTFLOW OF TALENT FROM HONG KONG AND RISK A SHARP INCREASE IN IMMIGRATION INTO THE U.K:
(2) EVEN IF THE PRINCIPAL BENEFICIARIES ARE PREPARED TO TAKE THE RISK AND REMAIN, THEY WILL SEND THEIR DEPENDENTS TO SETTLE IN THE U.K. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, THUS CREATING MORE SEPARATED FAMILIES IN HONG KONG. THIS IS A VERY EMOTIVE ISSUE HERE:
(3) THE NATURE OF ENTRY CERTIFICATES IS SUCH THAT, IF THE WORST DID HAPPEN TO HONG KONG, THEIR HOLDERS WOULD ALL CONVERGE ON THE U.K. INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO DISPERSE TO VARIOUS EC CITIES, AS THEY COULD WITH A FULL U.K. PASSPORT:
(4) NO AMOUNT OF ASSURANCES WILL SUFFICE TO PERSUADE PEOPLE IN HONG KONG TO BELIEVE THAT ENTRY CERTIFICATES ARE IRREVOCABLY BY FUTURE GOVERNMENTS. BRITISH NATIONALS HERE HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE OF PREVIOUS U.K. LEGISLATION CHANGING THE RULES. ALTHOUGH WITH THIS BACKGROUND THE FEAR OF FUTURE CHANGE COULD ALSO ATTACH TO PASSPORTS, IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO DO SO IN THE CASE OF A LESSER DOCUMENT. AS YOU KNOW SUCH FEARS HAVE BEEN ACCENTUATED BY WHAT HAS BEEN SAID PUBLICLY BY OPPOSITION SPOKESMEN:
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