HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
10 March 1993
132
香港立法局
一九九三年三月十日
132
The British Government has again considered the question of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, and has asked me to use this opportunity to pass on more formally their response to the November debate. First, the British Government has asked me to stress against that there can be no question of increasing the scale of the British Nationality Scheme beyond the agreed total of 50 000 principal beneficiaries, in order to accommodate the ethnic minorities.
Secondly, the British Government has confirmed that it is not possible to grant British citizenship to the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong under the British Nationality Act 1981. New primary legislation would be necessary if special treatment were to be accorded to this group. The British Government, however, is not persuaded of the case for fresh legislation to give British citizenship to the ethnic minorities. It believes that this community's position in Hong Kong is secure: neither their children or grandchildren will be stateless; they are eligible to apply for citizenship under the British Nationality Scheme, and some have applied and been successful; and the British Government stands by its undertaking to consider their case for admission to the United Kingdom with particular sympathy if, contrary to expectations, they were in future to come under severe pressure to leave Hong Kong.
This is not new, and I recognize that it will come as a disappointment to Members of this Council and to the ethnic minorities. I would not. however, wish to raise expectations of a more favourable response in future.
As regards the position of the Hong Kong Government on this issue, I should like to spell this out with reference to the points in the report itself.
The report refers to the fact that the ethnic minorities are deeply rooted in the Hong Kong community. I acknowledge this, and their wish to remain in Hong Kong where they have prospered and made their homes. I am sure that Hong Kong people, as well as the British, Chinese and Hong Kong Governments, wish them to stay in Hong Kong. That is why we sought and obtained the right of abode in Hong Kong for this minority in the Joint Declaration. This is reflected in the Basic Law.
It is not correct to call these people stateless. The change of sovereignty in 1997 will not make them stateless. All those who are now British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTCs) will continue to have British
- 13 -