TNAG-0654-FCO40-803-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 68

AKK 23

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0 OCT 1977

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سه 0 مرکز به

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Mr Qu

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Mr Jkt Joh

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Enter

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Mr Cortazzi

MR MAIDEEN:

APPROACH TO THE HOME OFFICE ABOUT CITZENSHIP OF

THE UNITED KINGDOM AND COLONIES

1. Mr Tesh has been pressing us to seek citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies for Mr Maideen in recognition of the very considerable debt of gratitude which we owe him for his services to the UK and Hong Kong in Saigon. If they agree that thie application should be made it is highly likely to ouonred. Sir Murray Maclehose supports this and has advanced arguments to suggest that we may have been wrong in our earlier belief that Mr Maideen was not eligible to be registered as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies.

2.

Nationality and Treaty Department have reviewed the position and conclude that there is an outside chance that the Home Office would look favourably on an application for citizenship from Mr Maideen. They suggest that we should test the Home Office's reaction with an approach at Deputy Under Secretary level.

3. The Government are greatly in Maideen's debt, and we want to do all that we reasonably can to help him. We have known for some time that when he left Vietnam, he would want to visit the UK; but it was not until July that he told a member of our Embassy staff that he wanted citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies

And

"a full-blown UK passport" above all else. Although he has Indian citzenship he has given his services to us rather than to the Indian Government and he has put his Indian citizenship at risk by his use of the United Kingdom passport which he was given exceptionally by the departing staff of our former Embassy in Saigon in April 1975 when the Embassy was evacuated. This gave him temporary administra- tive recognition as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies but

it did not make him one.

4.

While it is by no means certain that we shall be successful, I am sure that it ie right and proper that we should do whatever is

CONFIDENTIAL

/possible