XN000022-1985-02-06 — Page 8

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1985

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+ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE TREASURE BEING HONG KONG PEOPLE IS THAT WE CAN TRAVEL FREELY TO OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD ON BUSINESS OR FOR STUDY, + HE SAID.

+FOR IF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE NOT GIVEN AN EFFECTIVE PASSPORT. BE IT ISSUED BY THE HONG KONG SAR GOVERNMENT, THE COMPETENT AUTHORITIES OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA OR THE AUTHORITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIGHT, THAT IS, TO FACE THE CHALLENGE BROUGHT BY THE AGREEMENT, WHICH IS TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY.

+ONLY WITH PROSPERITY CAN HONG KONG BE VALUABLE AND CAN THE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS HELD BY THE HONG KONG PEOPLE SERVE A PRACTICAL PURPOSE, HE SAID.

MR SO SAID HE REGRETTED THAT THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL CHINESE VERSION FOR THE PROPOSED TITLE.

BN(0) PASSPORT: CLARIFICATION NEEDED

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IT WAS NOT THE NAME, BN(0), WHICH MATTERED BUT THE CONTENT AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROPOSED PASSPORT, THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

HONG KONG PEOPLE, HE SAID, WANTED TO KNOW HOW VALID THE BN(0) PASSPORT WOULD BE AS A TRAVEL DOCUMENT TO THIRD COUNTRIES. THEY ALSO WANTED TO KNOW IN CONCRETE TERMS+ HOW BRITAIN WOULD ENSURE ITS RECOGNITION.

HONG KONG PEOPLE, HE BELIEVED, +CERTAINLY HAD GOOD REASON TO BE SKEPTICAL+,

+FOR EVEN NOW BDTC PASSPORT HOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO APPLY FOR ENTRY VISAS TO THE UK.

+HOW THEN CAN THIRD COUNTRIES POSSIBLY BE EXPECTED TO HONOUR THE BN(0), WHEN THE UK HERSELF IMPOSES CONDITIONAL TERMS OF ENTRY ON THOSE SHE CHOOSES TO NAME BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS WHO HAPPEN TO LIVE IN THE BRITISH TERRITORY OF HONG KONG?+ HE ASKED.

HE POINTED OUT THAT BDTC PASSPORTS, NEVERTHELESS, DID ENSURE THE IR HOLDERS THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG+ AND THIS LINE APPEARED IN CURRENT PASSPORTS.

+BUT WE ARE GIVEN TO UNDERSTAND THE RIGHT OF ABODE MAY NOT BE STATED IN BN(0) PASSPORTS. IN THEORY, WOULD THIS NOT MAKE THE HOLDERS STATELESS?+ HE QUERIED.

MR CHEUNG ALSO RAISED THE POSSIBILITY OF THE HOLDER ENCOUNTERING DIFFICULTIES WITH IMMIGRATION OFFICERS, ESPECIALLY IN THIRD COUNTRIES, BECAUSE THERE WERE NO APPARENT ANSWERS TO THE POTENTIAL QUESTIONS OF REPATRIATION AND DEPORTATION,

/IT WAS