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056727 MDLIAN 94-7
FAR. DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, DONALD TSANG WAS QUOTED (17.2) AS SAYING THAT THE COOL RESPONSE WAS PARTLY BECAUSE OF SCEPTICISM ABOUT CHINA'S TREATMENT OF THE BENEFICIARIES. HE SAID LU PING HAD SAID THAT RECIPIENTS OF THE BRITISH PASSPORT WOULD NOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AFTER 1997. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (18.2) REPORTED THAT ALTHOUGH THE RESPONSE TO THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE HAD NOT BEEN GOOD, THE WORRIES OF THE CHINESE OVER THE PACKAGE HAD NOT ABATED AND THEY WERE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF LOCAL SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS APPLYING. QUOTING SOURCES, THE REPORT SAID THAT CHINA WOULD STEP UP CONTACTS WITH ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS IN A BID TO DISSUADE THEM FROM APPLYING. IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD ADOPT A FLEXIBLE APPROACH AND ALLOW LOCAL SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS TO DECIDE ON WHETHER OR NOT TO APPLY NEARER TO 1997. MING PAO AND THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (18.2) REPORTED THAT A SURVEY ON THE BRITISH NATIONALITY SELECTION SCHEME REVEALED THAT 83 PER CENT OF THE 634 RESPONDENTS HAD NOT AND WOULD NOT APPLY FOR THE SCHEME. BETTER EDUCATED AND WEALTHIER PEOPLE SAID THAT THEY DID NOT LIKE THE UK WHILE POORER AND LESS EDUCATED PEOPLE FELT THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY NOT QUALIFY UNDER THE PACKAGE.
11. THE EXPRESS (14.2) REPORTED THAT SOME MAJOR BRITISH COMPANIES IN HONG KONG PLANNED TO RECOMMEND SOME OF THEIR SENIOR OFFICERS FOR THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE.
TONGA
12. THE MEDIA (19.2) REPORTED THAT TONGA WOULD DECIDE THIS WEEK WHETHER OR NOT TO RESCIND ABOUT 420 PASSPORTS SOLD TO HONG KONG PEOPLE SINCE 1984 BY ITS MINISTRY OF POLICE. IT WAS LIKELY THAT THE COUNTRY WOULD RECONSIDER THE CASES BECAUSE OF THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS THIS WOULD HAVE FOR THE COUNTRY IF THE PASSPORT PURCHASES, WHICH AMOUNTED TO U.S. DOLLARS 35,000 PER PASSPORT, WERE MADE ILLEGAL.
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