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June will lobby Ministers and parliamentary and other contacts
on two main issues. In addition to their original mission
pressing for passports for the ethnic minority
they will
voice LegCo objections to the phased programme for the
registration of British Nationals (Overseas) (BNOS). I attach
a list, prepared by the Hong Kong Government Office, of calls
arranged so far for the delegation.
5. I understand that concern about the BNO registration
programme was registered several times with Mr Goodlad during his recent trip to Hong Kong. Mr Morris submission of 19 May
charted growing public unease in Hong Kong about the BNO
programme. Mr Goodlad wrote to Mr Wardle on 21 May about this, asking him to look at the possibility of allowing BDTCs to hold a BDTC and a BNO passport concurrently or to hold back the actual issue of of BNO passports until nearer to 1997. think it worth pressing the Home Office again on this.
We
6. LegCo have already been lobbying strongly on both issues, with eg a letter campaign mounted by Mrs Elsie Tu on MPs and
Ministers. Ms Emily Lau (who is to lead the delegation) has
also been active (our submission and Mr Goodlad's letter to
her of 25 May in response to her request to defer the BNO registration programme). We think that peers and MPS on whom the delegation plan to call should be briefed by Mr Goodlad in
the form of a short "Dear Colleague" letter covering a briefing note on the BNO programme, the position of the ethnic community, and that of the wives and widows of ex-servicemen (another subject which LegCo callers regularly raise).
7.
As far as we know, the Home Office have no intention of
changing present policy on the ethnic minority (which they see as adequately protected by the arrangements already envisaged) and the delegation's call (which we were told at desk level -
sub.natquest.NAT
JEB
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