TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1935
1
GOVERNOR ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON HONG KONG
AT LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE LECTURE
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FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT FOLLOWED THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE'S LECTURE TO THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE ON JANUARY 22:
SIR NICHOLAS GOODISON (CHAIRMAN OF THE STOCK EXCHANGE) : SIR EDWARD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED FOR THOSE WORDS. KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE MANY PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS. COULD REPEAT, PLEASE, THE REQUEST THAT YOU SHOULD GIVE YOUR NAME WHEN ASKING THE QUESTIONS, SO THAT SIR EDWARD KNOWS WHO HE IS COPING WITH. WHO WOULD LIKE TO START?
SIR ROBIN DAY, (BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION) COULD YOU REMIND US, BECAUSE THE DETAIL HAS LEFT SOME OF US NOT AS WELL INFORMED AS WE WOULD LIKE TO BE, IF ONE IS A HONG KONG PERSON WITHOUT A BRITISH PASSPORT, AND WITHOUT FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP, WILL ONE BE ABLE TO LEAVE HONG KONG (A) BEFORE 1997 AND (B) AFTER 1997, AND GO WHERE ONE WANTS?
SIR EDWARD YOUDE TO GO WHERE ONE WANTS+ DEPENDS VERY OFTEN ON THE COUNTRY TO WHICH YOU ARE GOING, RATHER THAN THE COUNTRY YOU ARE LEAVING, BUT AS REGARDS LEAVING HONG KONG THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES THAT YOU MAY LEAVE HONG KONG WITHOUT SPECIAL AUTHORISATION.
AS REGARDS PASSPORTS THERE IS AN EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDA ATTACHED TO THE AGREEMENT, UNDER WHICH THOSE WHO ARE NOW BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORY CITIZENS, WHICH IS BASICALLY THOSE BORN IN HONG KONG, WILL HAVE A NEW STATUS WHICH WILL ENTITLE THEM TO TRAVEL ON A BRITISH PASSPORT. IT WAS PART OF THE PURPOSE OF THE HONG KONG BILL, DEBATED IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS LAST NIGHT, TO PROVIDE FOR THAT NEW STATUS. THE PROPOSAL IS THAT THEY SHOULD BECOME BRITISH NATIONALS (OVERSEAS), AND WOULD THEN HAVE BRITISH PASSPORTS ON WHICH THEY COULD TRAVEL AND RECEIVE CONSULAR PROTECTION IN THIRD COUNTRIES.
SO THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS THE ARE BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORY CITIZENS UP TO 1997, AND FREE TO COME AND GO. IF THEY WISH TO BECOME SO, AND THEY WILL HAVE TO APPLY, THEY CAN BECOME BTISH NATIONALS (OVERSEAS), AND HAVE BRITISH PASSPORTS TO TRAVEL OU FROM HONG KONG, AND ROUND THE WORLD, AFTER 1997.
SIR ROBIN DAY AND WILL THEY HAVE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THIS COUNTRY?
/SIR EDWARD =
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