•
6
4.7
4.8
4.9
become "effectively stateless" which view is mirrored by law lecturer of Hong
Kong University and barrister, Johannes Chan.
Full British Nationality is sought only so that these affected minorities can
remain in Hong Kong after 1997 with minimum guarantees for their safety in
the event something were to go wrong. These minorities have made Hong
Kong their home. They have no other home. The raison d'etre of the British
Nationality Scheme is to allow the beneficiaries under the scheme to have the
confidence to remain in Hong Kong after 1997. This is what the affected
minorities also seek.
Left without this minimum guarantee, these affected minorities will have little
option but to seek residence outside Hong Kong in the run up to 1997. This
will be "Hong Kong's loss and Britain's shame." (see letter dated 3rd January,
1986 of LegCo Members to members of the House of Lords and House of
Commons). During a Legislative Council debate on 8th January 1986 the then
Senior Member of LegCo, Miss Lydia Dunn (now a member of the House of
Lords, Baroness Dunn) called for full British citizenship for those British
nationals not of Chinese descent.
We believe that the local Chinese community will support the grant of full
British Nationality to the affected ethnic minorities (see speech of the Hon. Mr.
Allen Lee in LegCo dated 4th December 1985 wherein he said: "... I can safely
say that they (the local Chinese) have no objection to the minorities obtaining
full British citizenship they wish the minorities the best of luck.").
5.
Chinese Nationality and the Ethnic Minorities
5.1
Under present Chinese nationality laws the acquisition of Chinese nationality is
based on the principle of jus sanguinis (the principle of acquiring citizenship by
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