WEDNESDAY, DECEBER 4, 1985
5
HE RECALLED THAT HE HAD SUGGESTED AN AUTOMATIC PERMISSION TO LAND ENDORSEMENT IN HIS SPEECH DURING LAST WEEK'S POLICY DEBATE.
+ IF THAT PRESENTS A TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY (AS TO WHICH I AM NOT CONVINCED) THEN COULD NOT ANOTHER METHOD BE DEVISED WHICH WOULD BE TECHNICALLY ACCEPTABLE AND WHICH WOULD OBVIATE THE PROCEDURES UNDER THE IMMIGRATION RULES BEFORE LEAVE TO ENTER IS GIVEN?+ HE ASKED.
+THE IMPORTANT THING IS FOR BRITAIN TO SET THE LEAD IN GIVING TO THE NEW PASSPORT THE STAMP OF INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTABILITY, HE SAID.
+BRITAIN, I FEAR, IS RAPIDLY LOSING THE BATTLE FOR THE MINDS AND HEARTS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE: IT IS NOT TOO LATE EVEN NOW FOR SOME MEASURE OF GOODWILL TO BE REGAINED, HE ADDED.
MR SWAINE OBSERVED THAT THE NEW STATUS OF BN(0) CREATED BY THE DRAFT ORDER WOULD BE AN ODD STATUS IN THAT AS FROM JULY 1, 1997 THE BN(0) PASSPORT WOULD BE A TRAVEL DOCUMENT WITHOUT A HOME OF ITS OWN.
+ IT DOES NOT CARRY THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK, AND WILL NOT CARRY ANY RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG BECAUSE THAT WILL BE GOVERNED BY ANNEX | ARTICLE XIV OF THE JOINT DECLARATION.
+RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG WILL THEN BE EVIDENCED BY A PERMANENT IDENTITY CARD TO BE ISSUED BY THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION GOVERNMENT,+ HE ANALYSED.
HE NOTED THE DILEMMA THAT THIS POSED HAD JUST BEEN RESOLVED BY THE NEWS THAT BRITAIN AND CHINA HAD AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO THE FORM OF ENDORSEMENT ON THE BN(0) PASSPORT THAT THE HOLDER POSSESSES A HONG KONG PERMANENT IDENTITY CARD WHICH STATES THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG.
+ IT REMAINS FOR BRITAIN NOW TO ENSURE THE INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTABILITY OF THE NEW PASSPORT WITH THIS ENDORSEMENT EASE OF TRAVEL IS, OF COURSE, ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND WAY OF LIFE, HE SAID.
TURNING TO THE OTHER FEATURE OF THE DRAFT ORDER, THE STATUS OF BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN, MR SWAINE SAID IT WAS EVEN MORE NEBULOUS THAN THAT OF BN(0) ́AND FURTHER REMOVED FROM IDENTIFICATION WITH A HOME.
IT COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS ANOMALIES AND INJUSTICES WITH REGARD TO NON-CHINESE BRITISH NATIONALS, HE ADDED.
CONCLUDING, MR SWAINE MADE A SPECIAL PLEA FOR THE EX-SERVICEMEN OF HONG KONG BECAUSE HE BELIEVED NONE DESERVED IT MORE.
/HE POINTED