WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1987
MR JEAFFRESON SAID THE VAST MAJORITY OF +HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENTS+ TO WHOM THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG WOULD BE ACCORDED BY THIS BILL WOULD CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION UNDER THE FIRST OF THESE CATEGORIES, BY VIRTUE OF BEING CHINESE NATIONALS WHO WERE BORN IN HONG KONG, OR WHO HAD ORDINARILY RESIDED IN HONG KONG FOR A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF SEVEN YEARS OR MORE.
OTHER +HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENTS+ AS NOW DEFINED IN THE BILL WHO WERE NOT CHINESE NATIONALS WOULD BE ABLE TO RETAIN THEIR RIGHT OF ABODE UNDER THE OTHER CATEGORIES, HE SAID.
BUT MR JEAFFRESON POINTED OUT THAT THERE MIGHT BE A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE AMONG THOSE TO BE ACCORDED THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG IN THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION WHO WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION ON JULY 1, 1997 BECAUSE THEY DID NOT MEET THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS IN THE JOINT DECLARATION.
+THEY WOULD BE HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENTS' WHO ARE NOT CHINESE NATIONALS, HENCE DO NOT FALL INTO THE FIRST CATEGORY, AND WHO COMPLY NEITHER WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECOND CATEGORY NOR WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE THIRD CATEGORY, HE SAID.
+ IN PRACTICAL TERMS, THEY WOULD BE A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF NON-CHINESE NATIONALS WHO ON JULY 1, 1997 MAY NOT HAVE ORDINARILY RESIDED IN HONG KONG FOR A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF SEVEN YEARS OR MORE. OR WHO MAY HAVE SO RESIDED BUT HAVE NOT TAKEN HONG KONG AS THE IR PLACE OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE- IN EITHER CASE THEY WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT OF ABODE ELSEWHERE.+
MR JEAFFRESON SAID +HONG KONG PERMANENT RESIDENTS+, WHO WERE NON-CHINESE NATIONALS AND HAD ORDINARILY RESIDED IN HONG KONG FOR NOT LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS. MIGHT CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION UNDER THE SECOND CATEGORY IN SECTION XIV OF ANNEX I TO THE JOINT DECLARATION ONCE THEY HAD ESTABLISHED THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN HONG KONG AS THE IR PLACE OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE.
HE SAID THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS HAD REACHED A COMMON UNDERSTANDING THAT THE WAY TO ESTABLISH THAT SUCH A PERSON HAD TAKEN HONG KONG AS HIS PLACE OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE WOULD BE THE SIGNING OF A SIMPLE DECLARATION BY THE PERSON IN QUESTION.
+THIS METHOD WILL ALSO APPLY TO OTHER NON-CHINESE NATIONALS WHO WILL NOT ENJOY THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG NOW BUT WHO WISH TO ACQUIRE THAT RIGHT IN THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION UNDER THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. + HE SAID.
/+THIS IS