XN000022-1994-01-13 — Page 19

18

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1994

OF THE 80 SUBMISSIONS, 57 WERE FROM ORGANISATIONS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

23 FROM

ABOUT 60 PER CENT OF THE SUBMISSIONS

CHARGING PROPOSAL ON THE

IN AGAINST PRINCIPLE. A FEW EVEN ARGUED HOUSEHOLDS AS PROPOSED IN THE SCHEME.

WERE

ANY

WHICH EXPRESSED A VIEW SUPPORT OF THE

ALLOWING

POLLUTER EXEMPTION

PAYS

FOR

THE

CONSULTATION

CONCLUDED

WITH

A MOTION

DEBATE

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON DECEMBER 1 DURING WHICH A MOTION IN SUPPORT THE POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE WAS CARRIED WITHOUT AMENDMENT.

IN

THE OF

0

AN HONOURABLE SOLUTION FOR ETHNIC MINORITIES URGED

THE INFLUENTIAL LONDON NEWSPAPER, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, YESTERDAY TOOK UP THE CASE OF HONG KONG'S

CHINESE NON-ETHNIC BY PUBLISHING AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY THE MINORITIES

SENIOR MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, BARONESS DUNN WHO URGED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ΤΟ PROVIDE AN HONOURABLE AND JUST SOLUTION TO THE NON-CHINESE ETHNIC

IN HONG KONG WHO WILL BE RENDERED STATELESS IN 1997 MINORITIES

WHEN

SOVEREIGNTY CHANGES.

WRITING IN THE DAILY TELEGRAPH IN LONDON, BARONESS DUNN SAID BRITAIN HAS A MORAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO THIS GROUP OF 5,000 TO 7,000 PEOPLE.

"BY GRANTING FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO THIS SMALL GROUP OF

NATIONALS, BRITISH

PEOPLE THERE CAN BE NO CLEARER SIGNAL TO THE

OF HONG KONG THAT BRITAIN UNDERSTANDS THE UNIQUE COMPLEXITIES OF HONG KONG'S SITUATION.

TAKES THERE CAN BE NO BETTER EXAMPLE THAT BRITAIN THE MORAL STANCE NOT ONLY ON LARGE MATTERS, BUT ON SMALL ONES TOO.

AND SAID.

"THERE CAN BE NO FIRMER COMMITMENT THAT BRITAIN HAS THE WILL THE DETERMINATION TO DO RIGHT BY ITS SUBJECTS IN HONG KONG,

SHE

BARONESS DUNN SAID UNDER THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC OF LAW AFTER 1997, THIS GROUP OF ETHNIC MINORITIES MAY HAVE THE RIGHT

KONG BUT ABODE IN THE CHINESE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF HONG HAS NO RIGHT TO CHINESE NATIONALITY.

THE ISSUE WAS DEBATED IN BOTH THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND THE HOUSE

FOLLOWING A CAMPAIGN LED BY BARONESS DUNN OF COMMONS

SEEK ΤΟ

FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP FOR THIS GROUP IN 1986 AS WELL AS LOBBYING EFFORTS BY A GROUP OF HONG KONG LEGISLATORS.

YEAR,

THE HOUSE OF LORDS, BY A MAJORITY OF 60 TO 48 HAD CALLED UPON THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO GIVE THIS GROUP BRITISH CITIZENSHIP.

JULY TN

LAST FULL

14

"BUT NONE OF THIS HAS MOVED THE HOME SECRETARY," SHE SAID.

/BARONESS DUNN