CONFIDENTIAL
མིཏ མི ཏཏོག
གཙགཏད
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075750
MDHIAN 979
(IV) ABILITY TO EARN A LIVING
(V) PROOF OF CULTURAL CONNECTION WITH PORTUGAL.
ALL DECISIONS ON CITIZENSHIP REST WITH WHAT REIS DESCRIBED AS THE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION AND INTERNAL SECURITY IN PORTUGAL
(MINISTRY OF INTERIOR ?), THOUGH REJECTED APPLICANTS HAVE RECOURSE TO COURTS OF LAW.
5. THE FIGURE OF 80,000 - 100,000 MACAU RESIDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR PORTUGUESE PASSPORTS OR THOSE WHO HAVE THEM ALREADY CONSIST LARGELY OF ETHNIC CHINESE BORN BEFORE 1974. REIS SAID HE HAD SEEN AN UNDER SECRETARY'S ESTIMATE OF UP TO 130,000 FULL CITIZENS BY 1999, THE ADDITIONAL 30 50,000 BEING MOSTLY DESCENDANTS OF CURRENT PORTUGUESE CITIZENS.
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6. THE ANSWER TO WHY MORE PEOPLE IN MACAU HAVE NOT SOUGHT PORTUGUESE CITIZENSHIP MAY BE THE CONDITIONS IN PARA 3. VERY FEW CHINESE IN MACAU SPEAK OR READ PORTUGUESE AND FEWER STILL HAVE ANY CULTURAL LINK TO PORTUGAL OF THE KIND LIABLE TO GET THEM OVER THAT HURDLE. MOREOVER WITH TWO MORE YEARS BEFORE THE HANDOVER MANY MAY FEEL THERE IS LESS OF A RUSH THAN IN HONG KONG. THE GOVERNOR HAS COMMENTED TO ME PREVIOUSLY THAT MANY MAY WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN HONG KONG IN 1997 BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER TO LEAVE.
P
7 THE MACAU GOVERNMENT DOES NOT AT PRESENT ANTICIPATE ANY GREAT INCREASE OVER THE FIGURES IN PARA 4 OF RESIDENTS TO BE GIVEN NATIONALITY, BUT THEY HAVE HAD TO CHANGE COURSE BEFORE (MOST RECENTLY ON THE NUMBERS AND HANDLING OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS) AND IT MAY BE THEY WILL HAVE TO DO SO AGAIN. THERE DOES NOT SEEM, FOR EXAMPLE, TO BE ANY PROVISION FOR PASSPORTS FOR THOSE IN SENSITIVE POSITIONS, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE FEW MECANESE OR CHINESE IN SUCH POSITIONS.
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