the circumstances which the Home Secretary envisaged, we would not expect to distinguish between individual British Nationals
under pressure to leave Hong Kong and seeking sanctuary here.
I suggest that when the subject is raised in future it would
be right to make clear that the assurance was devised
expressly for the ethnic minorities. However, if asked to
confirm in supplementaries what the Home Secretary said on 9
June, we should do so. I know the Governor is concerned that
any attempt to resile will play very badly in Hong Kong. I
suggest something on the following lines;
"The assurance which I have restated today, as the House
knows, was devised expressly in response to concern about
the position of members of the non-Chinese ethnic
minorities in Hong Kong after 1997. However in the
unlikely event that any other individual British National
came under pressure to leave the Territory, I would expect
the Government of the day to adopt a similarly sympathetic
view."
am
corying this
lester
to
the Governor
ward.let.SA
SLM
ALASTAIR GOODLAD