RS
a.
when you wished
to see.
Reference....
Mr Peachey's letter of 10 July at (7).
The points to be made in reply are, I suggest,
21
Visa and immigration control over citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies is not entirely new. The Hong Kong Government will continue to waive the visa requirement for UK citizens with passports issued in the UK.
b.
It is true that some UK passport holders may be deported or detained but deportation, and detention, as in the UK, is only carried out to deal with an individual who has been convicted of a serious offence or whose presence is totally unacceptable to the Government and the Community. It would be useful if we could quote some words of reassurance on this score from Hong Kong Government sources.
c.
In response to his para 4. it needs to be explained that the British passport is not intended to confer upon the holder an entitlement to freedom from immigration control into overseas territories. Perhaps NT Department can produce the form of words. I believe a Minister had something to say about this in the House of Commons or House of Lords recently.
It is arguable whether the citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies who belongs to the UK and has a UK passport has any greater claim to be exempt from Hong Kong immigration control than has the Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies who belongs to Hong Kong and travels with a Hong Kong passport to be exempt from UK immigration control.
This is the reality of the present day situation on immigration control.
д
J H Mallett
Migration and Visa Department
20 August 1971
Mr. Saminara
We spoke
8.6. Pete
24 August 1971
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