THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1994
9.
CONFIDENCE EXPRESSED IN SAR PASSPORT
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THERE WAS EVERY REASON TO BE CONFIDENT THAT INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF SAR PASSPORTS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON DAVID JEAFFRESON, SAID TODAY.
- BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES AND AS FOR THE FUTURE OF BDTC'S, CITIZENS - THEY WOULD ALL, INCLUDING NON-CHINESE, ACQUIRE A NEW STATUS UNDER THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT, AS STIPULATED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM MEMORANDUM, MR JEAFFRESON SAID.
SPEAKING ON THE MOTION ON THE DRAFT AGREEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, MR JEAFFRESON SAID THAT UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAD MADE A NUMBER OF POINTS ON NATIONALITY AND ON DEFENCE AND LAW AND ORDER, AND THAT MOST OF THE POINTS WOULD BE FIRMLY BORNE IN MIND IN THE COMING YEARS.
BUT HE WOULD BE COMMENTING, HE SAID, ON TWO ISSUES IN RESPECT OF NATIONALITY, NAMELY THE ACCEPTABILITY INTERNATIONALLY OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY THE SAR AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS, AND THE POSITION OF NON-CHINESE FORMER BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS WITH A HONG KONG CONNECTION - NON-CHINESE BDTC'S.
ON THE QUESTION OF SAR PASSPORTS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, HE SAID A FRAMEWORK EXISTED FOR ARRANGEMENTS TO BE MADE TO SECURE A HIGH DEGREE OF INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THEM AFTER 1997.
MR JEAFFRESON SAID THAT THE UK AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS HAD ACHIEVED RECOGNITION BY ALMOST ALL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD OF THE PRESENT PASSPORTS FOR BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES (HONG KONG) CITIZENS AND CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY FOR CHINESE RESIDENTS ORDINARILY RESIDENT FOR AT LEAST SEVEN YEARS WHO HAD NOT ACQUIRED BRITISH NATIONALITY.
+BOTH DOCUMENTS HAVE A HIGH REPUTATION AMONG IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES OVERSEAS,+ HE SAID.
+THEY SEE A TRAVEL DOCUMENT AS RELIABLE IF THE RETURNABILITY OF THE HOLDER OF THE DOCUMENT IS GUARANTEED BY THE AUTHORITY WHICH HAS ISSUED IT, + HE SAID.
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD OVER THE YEARS HELPED TO MAKE THESE DOCUMENTS WIDELY ACCEPTABLE BY MAKING THEM VALID FOR A LONG PERIOD -- OF TEN YEARS - AND, MORE IMPORTANT, BY GUARANTEE ING THE RETURNABILITY OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS HOLDING THEM.
ANNEX (SECTION XIV) TO THE JOINT DECLARATION PROVIDES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FUTURE HONG KONG SAR TO ISSUE PASSPORTS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS OF THE SAR TO PERSONS LAWFULLY RESIDING IN THE SAR. THESE PASSPORTS AND DOCUMENTS WOULD BE VALID FOR ALL STATES AND REGIONS.
+MOST IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF THE IR ACCEPTABILITY OVERSEAS THEY WILL RECORD THE HOLDER'S RIGHT OF RETURN TO THE SAR, HE SAID.
IT WAS
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