XN000022-1994-10-12 — Page 30

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1994

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THIS BRITISH AS WB IT HAS

OUR LOBBYING EFFORTS · AND THE EFFORTS OF MANY MEMBERS OF COUNCIL - RESULTED, IN LATE 1989, IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE

THIS SCHEME DID NOT GO AS FAR NATIONALITY SELECTION SCHEME.

I BELIEVE THAT WISH. NEVERTHELESS, DESPITE ITS LIMITATIONS, HELPED AS WAS ITS AIM TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG, AND то

ΤΟ CONTINUE ENSURE THAT

THE BUSINESS AND

ADMINISTRATION FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY AND SUCCESSFULLY.

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WE WILL CONTINUE TO URGE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO GO FURTHER.

HAS ALREADY BUT MEMBERS WILL BE AWARE OF THE EXTENSIVE DEBATE THAT

FULL TAKEN PLACE IN BRITAIN ON THE MATTER. THE QUESTION OF GRANTING

CAREFULLY AND BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO HONG KONG BDTCS WAS CONSIDERED THOROUGHLY BY PARLIAMENT WHEN IT DEBATED THE BRITISH NATIONALITY (HONG KONG) ACT IN 1990. IT IS NOT A POSITION THAT HAS THE SUPPORT EITHER THE BRITISH

MAJOR OR THE GOVERNMENT

OPPOSITION

BRITAIN.

WE

THE BRITISH

PARTY

OF

IN

HAS TO

THE BRITISH HAVE IN PREPARATION FOR THIS DEBATE CONSULTED GOVERNMENT ON THIS SUBJECT ONCE MORE. AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT REITERATED ITS POSITION. IN THEIR VIEW, THE AWARD OF CITIZENSHIP 50,000 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD WAS THE RIGHT RESPONSE, WHICH HAS HELPED TO

HAPPENED SINCE NOTHING HAS BOLSTER CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG.

THE GOVERNMENT ARE SCHEME WAS SET UP TO CHANGE THEIR VIEW. NOT PREPARED TO AWARD CITIZENSHIP TO ALL THE APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILLION

THAT

BIND A FUTURE BDTCS;

THEY COULD NOT THEY CONSIDER

COMMITMENT. GOVERNMENT то SUCH A LARGE POTENTIAL IMMIGRATION CONSIDER THAT THE GREAT MAJORITY OF BDTCS HAVE MADE CLEAR WISH TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN HONG KONG; AND THEY ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE CONTINUE JOINT DECLARATION MAKES PROVISION FOR ALL BDTCS WHO WISH TO TO RESIDE IN HONG KONG TO DO SO.

BRITISH

THEY THAT THEY

WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND TO PUT OUR BUT I HAVE TO POSITION AND THE POSITION OF THIS COUNCIL TO THEM. SAY TO MEMBERS THAT, ON THE BASIS OF OUR MOST RECENT CONTACTS, AND ON OF THE BRITISH POSITION THE BASIS OF THE CONSISTENTLY EXPRESSED GOVERNMENT IN RECENT YEARS, IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT A CHANGE OF POLICY.

IN LINE WITH OUR CONSISTENT POSITION, WE WILL BE THIS MOTION TODAY. BUT WE BELIEVE ALSO THAT OUR ENERGIES DIRECTED TO ENSURING THAT HONG KONG REMAINS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE PRESERVED SAFEGUARDS

VOTING FOR SHOULD BE HONG KONG ARE THE

THAT ITS WAY OF LIFE AND ITS PROSPERITY WANT TO REMAIN;

SPIRIT OF THAT THE LETTER AND THE AND UNDERPINNed,

FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE PROVIDED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION ARE HONOURED IN FULL.

THE

SPECIAL WITHOUT

CASE

MR

I SHOULD ALSO LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT PRESIDENT, BRITISH FOR

CITIZENSHIP FOR THE

MINORITIES. ETHNIC DETRACTING FROM OUR SUPPORT FOR THE GRANT OF BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO FOR THE ALL HONG KONG BDTCS, WE HAVE GIVEN OUR SUPPORT PARTICULARLY

THE GRANT OF CITIZENSHIP AND RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM TO ETHNIC MINORITIES WHO ARE BDTCS. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS NOT AS YET ALTHOUGH MINORITIES, OUR ARGUMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE ETHNIC ACCEPTED

OF THE THESE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF MEMBERS PARLIAMENT INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS THEIR CASE. THANK YOU, MR PRESIDENT.

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