37 -
Estimation of size of ethnic minorities updating
Following is a question by the Hon Emily Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
It is learnt that the Government is planning to draw up a list of non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong who may become stateless after 1997. Will the Administration inform this Council:
(a)
of the objectives of drawing up the list;
(b)
how it plans to go about drawing up the list;
(c)
when the details of the list will be announced; and
(d)
whether it will continue to request the British Government to grant full British citizenship to the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong?
Reply:
Mr President,
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
The Government is undertaking an exercise to update the estimate of the size of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong (who will not in the main be stateless after 1997) which was last done in 1986.
The exercise involves an estimation technique based primarily on the records of the Immigration Department to identify Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizens (BDTCs) who are non-ethnic Chinese and do not hold a second nationality.
We will make known the updated estimate when the exercise is completed.
The Hong Kong Government has consistently supported the case of non- Chinese ethnic minorities with solely British nationality for the grant of British Citizenship. The British Government's decision announced by the Prime Minister on 4 March 1996, to admit them into the United Kingdom in the unlikely event that they ever came under pressure to leave Hong Kong was a significant improvement on the assurance given so far to this group. The Hong Kong Government will continue to support their case for full British citizenship.
End