媳
97
ans 425.
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 250945Z SEP 79
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1330 OF 25 SEPTEMBER
HKK 340
RECEIVER A RIGGI
TOP COPY
CSX OFFICIN
INDEX
Mn
INFO PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
PERSONAL FOR MCLAREN.
PA
Pluzyja
108
no
117
NATIONALITY BILL.
1. I HAVE DISCUSSED THE HOME OFFICE PAPER PREPARED ON 19 SEPTEMBER
WITH THE MINISTER OF STATE AND MR MURRAY. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT
THIS PAPER LOSES FORCE THROUGH ITS OMISSION OF ANY REFERENCE
TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT FOR A THIRD TIER IN THE NEW
NATIONALITY STRUCTURE. PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, AND I IMAGINE IN SOME OTHER COLONIES, FEEL THAT THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL DEPENDENT
STATUS PLACES THEM IN A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HMG AND THE UK.
THE POINT WAS MADE WITH SOME FORCE TO MR BLAKER BY SIR Y K KAN, AND IT IS LEGALLY UNASSAILABLE. MOST OF THE PROPOSED OVERSEAS CITIZENS OUTSIDE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES HAVE NO SUCH RELATIONSHIP. CERTAINLY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WOULD VERY MUCH RESENT
THEIR OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UK BEING DOWNGRADED BY THEIR
CITIZENSHIP BEING COMBINED WITH THAT OF THESE UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE
LEFT IN LIMBO.
C. IN ADDITION THERE IS OF COURSE THE VERY STRONG POLITICAL
POINT THAT ANY SUGGESTION THAT HONG KONG'S RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE UK WAS BEING DOWNGRADED WOULD HAVE AN IMMEDIATE EFFECT
ON CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG AND WOULD CAUSE SPECULATION IN PEKING,
3. BECAUSE THE RELATIONSHIP OF RESIDENTS OF DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
WITH HMG IN THE UK REMAINS UNCHANGED IN ALL RESPECTS UNDER THE CREEN PAPER PROPOSALS, I STILL THINK THAT LOGICALLY AND LEGALLY THE RIGHT THING WOULD BE FOR THEM TO RETAIN THE NOMENCLATURE OF
**CATIZENS OF THE UK AND COLONIES''.
CONFIDENTIAL
4. HOWEVER
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