FAX 06 2733236
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
3 December 1992
Brian Manning Esq
Assistant Information Officer
British High Commission
Canberra
London SWIA 2AH
Telephone: 071-
HKD 340/4.
Dear Mr
Manning,
628
(27)
HONG KONG POST-1997: NATIONALITY FOR ETHNIC INDIANS
I have been asked to reply to your fax of 2 December to Information Department.
1.
2. The claims of ethnic Indians in Hong Kong that they risk statelessness post-1997 are regularly aired in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Legislative Council debated on 18 November a motion looking at just this subject. The motion was "that this Council urge the Government to examine the problems faced by the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong in terms of their nationality before and after 1997 and to take such steps may be open to it to ensure that citizens of the ethnic minorities that have lived in Hong Kong as permanent residents for many years do not become stateless in 1997". I attach as background for you the speech made on that occasion by the Hong Kong Government Secretary for Security. (I do not suggest that you hand this over as the views expressed are not of course formally those of HMG). I also enclose the line which we take in briefing on this subject.
3.
You may also like to draw attention to the careful consideration given in 1990 by the British Government to the non-Chinese ethnic minorities' position after 1997. During the Parliamentary debate on the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990, UK Ministers reconsidered the question and concluded that the position of this sector post-1997 was adequately protected both in the Joint Declaration and in the Basic Law and additionally through the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order of 1986 which guarantees British Overseas citizenship for the children and grandchildren for the ethnic minorities who are British Dependent Territory Citizens prior to 1 July 1997 who would otherwise be stateless thereafter.
manning.NAT
JEB