TNAG-0660-FCO40-809-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1977 — Page 183

Registry

No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret,

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

Copy:

SEAD

..In Confidence

SAVINGRAM

DRAFT

To:-

BRUNEI

Repeated: Kuala Lumpur

Singapore

Type 1 +

From

A J Brown

Telephone No. Ext.

NTD

Department

DSR11

My tel no: Savings of March.

DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON NATIONALITY LAW

1. The section of the document covering the transitional arrangements for British Overseas Citizenship includes a statement that "with the conferment of British Citizenship on some British Protected Persons and British Overseas Citizenship on the remainder, the status of British Protected Person would disappear". This statement does not mean there has ever been an intention to confer British Overseas Citizenship on Brunei subjects (or on British Protected Persons connected with the Solomon Islands). No new nationalit legislation is likely to come into force before 1980, and Brunei subjects will cease to be British Protected Persons when the current agreement with the Sultan expires next year, unless a new arrangement is agreed. In informing the Brunei

ment Government about the docu/ you may make clear that our present intention is to retain the status of British Protected Person for Brunei subjects for as long as necessary; it is not proposed to change their status to British Overseas Citizen. The document cannot include full

information on every point without being far too long, and for this reason it does not mention the exceptional positions of Brunei and the Solomon Islands. Nothing in the document should be taken to prejudice the present status of British Protected Persons of Brunei.

CONFIDENTIAL

138649 Dd.107857 500M 2/76 MFP