ここ
N
O IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON
ELNO 2364
ここ
211 OOZ DECEMBER
AND 0 IMMEDIATE
89
от
AWA, TOKYO, CANBERRA,
AND TO IMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK, SIN AND TO IMMEDIATE OSLO, STOCKHOLM
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG
FROM HKD
T、 - COP DIST ?
OPE, EC POS'S
HONG KONG: INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
1.
MIFT CONTAINS THE TEXT OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON 20 DECEMBER.
GRATEFUL IF ACTION ADDRESSEES COULD ARRANGE FOR A COPY OF THE TO HOST GOVERNMENTS. POSTS STATEMENT TO BE DELIVERED IMMEDIATELY
2.
SHOULD ALSO APPROACH HOST GOVERNMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
SUITABLY SENIOR AFTER THE CHRISTMAS BREAK AND AT A LEVEL TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE COMPARABLE MEASURES IN ORDER TO GIVE HONG KONG PEOPLE THE CONFIDENCE TO REMAIN IN THE TERRITORY. 3. IN DOING SO POSTS SHOULD DRAW ATTENTION TO THE PENULTIMATE PARAGRAPH OF THE STATEMENT AND MAKE THE FOLLOWING POINTS:
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD FOR SOME MONTHS ON
AN ASSURANCES PACKAGE AIMED AT STEMMING EMIGRATION FROM OF KEY PERSONNEL.
HONG KONG
KEY FEATURES OF SCHEME WE HAVE JUST ANNOUNCED ARE THAT:
ASSURANCES WILL BE GIVEN TO A MAXIMUM OF 50,000 HOUSEHOLDS PLUS DEPENDANTS, WITH AN ESTIMATED OVERALL TOTAL OF 225,000 PEOPLE. THE ASSURANCE TO BE GIVEN WILL TAKE THE FORM OF FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP WHICH WILL BE AWARDED TO RECIPIENTS WITHOUT THEIR HAVING TO LEAVE HONG KONG.
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BENEFICIARIES WILL BE SELECTED FROM BOTH THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR ON THE BASIS OF A POINTS SYSTEM.
IN ADDITION TO THIS POINTS SCHEME, BUT WITHIN THE OVERALL
A CEILING ON NUMBERS, THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSE TO INTRODUCE SPECIAL MEASURE DESIGNED TO ASSIST COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS IN HONG KONG TO RETAIN THEIR KEY PERSONNEL.
LEGISLATION WILL BE NECESSARY TO
PROVIDE FOR THE GRANT OF FULL
BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE SCHEME. IT WILL BE INTRODUCED AT THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY.
WE HAVE NOT SHIRKED OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO TACKLE THE CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG, DESPITE STRONG OPPOSITION FROM SOME QUARTERS IN THE UK TO THE IDEA OF A SCHEME
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