XN000022-1985-12-04 — Page 17

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1985

+ALL OF THIS IS EXTREMELY COMPLICATED AND UNSETTLING FOR THE NON-CHINESE BDTCS AND THEY ARE ENTITLED TO FEEL THAT HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT IS IN EFFECT TELLING THEM THAT THEY EVENTUALLY WILL HAVE TO BECOME CHINESE NATIONALS OR ACCEPT THE FACT THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL BECOME STATELESS.

+ IN SHORT, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS WASHING ITS HANDS OF ANY FUTURE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM AND THE NET EFFECT IS THAT HONG KONG IS LIKELY TO LOSE MANY OF THESE VALUABLE CITIZENS TO OTHER TERRITORIES OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, + HE ADDED.

+EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE BY THIS COUNCIL AND BY THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES TO PERSUADE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO ACCORD THESE FEWER THAN 10 000 PEOPLE THE PROTECTION OF BRITISH STATUS WITH THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN BRITAIN OR AT LEAST RETENTION OF BDTC STATUS,+ HE SAID.

+THE NUMBER IS SMALL GIVEN THE POPULATION AND IMMIGRANT AND EMIGRANT LEVELS IN BRITAIN AT PRESENT, HE ADDED.

THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE IN AN EXTREME PREDICAMENT

*****

+

IT SEEMS THAT HONG KONG BDTC'S HAVE NO REAL ALTERNATIVE BUT TO APPLY FOR THE NEW PASSPORTS AFTER JULY 1, 1987, AND THIS IS AN EXTREME PREDICAMENT TO BE IN, THE HON HUI YIN-FAT SAID TODAY

WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER ON THE DRAFT HONG KONG (BRITISH NATIONALITY) ORDER 1986, MR HUI SAID THE DRAFT ORDER WAS FORMALLY PROPOSED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WHEN THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION TOOK EFFECT, INTRODUCING A BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORT TO REPLACE THE BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZEN PASSPORT BY JULY 1, 1997, THE LATTER CEASING TO BE EFFECTIVE ON THAT DAY.

HE SAID THIS ACTION, FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S POINT OF VIEW, WAS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS LAID DOWN IN THE MEMORANDUM ATTACHED TO THE JOINT DECLARATION,

HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT WHAT THE MAJORITY OF HOLDERS OF BDTC PASSPORTS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT MOST WERE THE CONVENIENCE, RECOGNITION, AND ACCEPTABILITY BY THIRD COUNTRIES OF THE NEW PASSPORT WHEN IT WAS USED DURING THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD (FROM NOW TO JULY 1, 1997) AND AFTER JULY 1, 1997.

THEREFORE, HE .................