CONFIDENTIAL
pw
SSA
050413 MDHIAN 0597
CONFIDENTIAL
HKCD 340/6
FM HONG KONG
a
1
1993
cc ethnic mincnties.
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 740
OF 12105OZ MAY 93
PHASED PROGRAMME FOR BN (0)S: ETHNIC MINORITIES: AND WIVES AND WIDOWS OF EX-SERVICEMEN
1. AT THEIR REQUEST, THE GOVERNOR MET MEMBERS OF THE LEGCO NATIONALITY SUB-COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS THEIR CONCERNS ON
(A) WIVES AND WIDOWS OF EX-SERVICEMEN:
(B) THE ETHNIC MINORITIES: AND
(C) OUR PHASED PROGRAMME FOR REGISTERED BDTCS AS BN (0)S AND FOR ISSUING THEM WITH BN (0) PASSPORTS.
2. AS REGARDS (A), DISCUSSION ON WIVES AND WIDOWS WAS BRIEF AND THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT HE WAS CONSIDERING THIS EMOTIONALLY CHARGED ISSUE CAREFULLY AND WOULD BE PASSING ON HIS VIEWS TO LONDON IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
3. AS REGARDS (B), THE GOVERNOR, DRAWING ON OUR TELNO 638 AND YRTELNO 426, EXPLAINED THAT HE THOUGHT IT BETTER FOR MEMBERS OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE TO MAKE THEIR CASE IN PERSON IN LONDON BEFORE MINISTERS CAME TO A VIEW ON THE QUESTION OF ETHNIC MINORITIES: MEMBERS COULD THEN BE ASSURED THAT THEIR ARGUMENTS HAD BEEN HEARD. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS SOME SKIRMISHING WITH THE IDEA THAT THEY SHOULD BE TOLD THE ANSWER IN ADVANCE, MOST MEMBERS PRESENT SEEMED TO AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO PUT THEIR CASE IN PERSON. TIMING, HOWEVER, IS STILL UNCERTAIN (BUT SEE PARAGRAPH 8 BELOW).
4. MEMBERS APPEARED TO ACCEPT THAT PARLIAMENTARY LEGISLATION ON
TION THIS SUBJECT WAS UNLIKELY AND THEY SOUGHT SOME FORM OF ASSURANCE, GREATER THAN THAT GIVEN BY BARONESS YOUNG DURING THE COMMITTEE STATE DEBATE ON 1985 HONG KONG ACT IN MARCH 1985. DRAWING ON HER REMARKS, THEY POINTED OUT THAT DISCRETION TO ADMIT BN (0)S AND BOCS ALREADY EXISTS IN EXISTING LEGISLATION. MEMBERS REFERRED TO THE LETTERS OF ASSURANCE WHICH HAD BEEN GIVEN TO THE SPOUSES OF BRITISH CITIZENS AND SOUGH SOMETHING ALONG THE SAME LINES FOR
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