XN000022-1985-12-04 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1985

+MEMBERS WILL HAVE SEEN THAT BARONESS YOUNG, THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, SAID IN REPLY TO A PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS YESTERDAY, THAT THE CHINESE SIDE, IN A RECENT MEETING OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP HAD AGREED IN PRINCIPLE THAT THE WORDING OF THE ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE AS FOLLOWS:

+THE HOLDER OF THIS PASSPORT HAS HONG KONG

IDENTITY CARD NUMBER (SO AND SO) WHICH STATES THAT THE HOLDER HAS THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG

+BY THESE WORDS IT WILL BE QUITE CLEAR THAT THE HOLDER HAS THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG, AND THAT IT IS HIS IDENTITY CARD WHICH SPECIFIES HIS RIGHT OF ABÓDE, NOT HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT.+

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY HAD HAD INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH A NUMBER OF CONSULAR REPRESENTATIVES IN HONG KONG ON THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE NEW PASSPORT IN THE PAST MONTH.

+ IN THE LIGHT OF THESE DISCUSSIONS, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE RIGHT OF ABODE ENDORSEMENT ALONG THOSE LINES SHOULD SATISFY IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS OF THIRD COUNTRIES OF THE HOLDERS' RIGHT TO RETURN TO HONG KONG WITHOUT CALLING FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE IDENTITY CARDS THEMSELVES, HE SAID.

TURNING TO THE TIME SCALE, MR THOMAS SAID HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT WOULD START APPROACHING THIRD COUNTRIES FORMALLY AFTER THE ORDER IN COUNCIL HAD BEEN MADE, +PROBABLY IN APRIL NEXT YEAR+, TO EXPLAIN THE NEW BN(0) STATUS AND TO ENSURE THAT HOLDERS OF BN(0) PASSPORTS WOULD ENJOY THE SAME ACCESS TO THIRD COUNTRIES AS HOLDERS OF BDTC PASSPORTS.

THE OBJECT WOULD BE TO ENSURE THAT THE BN(0) PASSPORT WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE TRAVEL DOCUMENT ALONE, AND THAT EXISTING ENTRY

- WOULD AGREEMENTS - ESPECIALLY THE VISA ABOLITION AGREEMENTS CONTINUE TO APPLY, HE ADDED.

AS FOR THE MECHANICS FOR PROCURING THE NEW BN(0) PASSPORTS, MR THOMAS CONFIRMED THAT A BTDC COULD TRADE IN HIS BN(0) PASSPORT FOR A BDTC PASSPORT BEFORE 1997 IF HE BECAME DISSATISFIED WITH HIS BN(0) PASSPORT.

+BUT IN LINE WITH HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT'S ESTABLISHED PRACTICE ON THE ISSUE OF PASSPORTS, HE CAN ONLY HOLD EITHER A BN(0) OR A BDTC PASSPORT AT ANY ONE TIME,+ HE SAID.

+ACCORDINGLY IF HE DOES NOT HOLD A BN(0) PASSPORT ON JULY 1, 1997, HE WILL HAVE NO BRITISH NATIONALITY OR BRITISH PASSPORT UNLESS HE WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS.

+FURTHERMORE, BDTC PASSPORTS ISSUED AFTER JULY 1, 1987 WILL HAVE PROGRESSIVELY SHORTER VALIDITY PERIODS AS 1997 APPROACHES, + HE SAID.

THE ATTORNEY