TNAG-0902-FCO40-1112-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1979 — Page 180

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HAMILTON 17163ZZ

CONFIDENTHAL

HKK 3NOL!

ALIVED IN REGISTRY NO. ST 2 0 AUG 1979

DESK OFFICER INDEX

мо

TO PRIORITY FCO TELEGRAM NUMBER 114 OF 17

UGUST

YOUR TELNOS 51-53 TO ANGUILLA.

51-33

NATIONALITY LAW,

68

sex 69

THERE WAS LITTLE LOCAL REACTION WHEN THE 1977 GREEN

PAPER, DISCUSSING POSSIBLE CHANGES IN BRITISH NATIONALITY LAW, WAS

PUBLISHED, MOST DERMUDIANS EVIDENTLY RECOGNISED THAT THE CHANGES

CONTEMPLATED WOULD NOT IN PRACTICE MAKE MUCH DIFFERRACE TO THEIR

PRESENT POSITION. THEY SHOULD STILL RECOGNISE THIS. NEVERTHELESS,

WHEN CITIZENSHIP ARRANGEMENTS ARE ACTUALLY CHANGED, WE MUST EXPECT

THAT SOME OF THEM WILL EXPRESS EMOTIVE VIEWS. MINISTERS HERE WILL

BE ODLIGED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THESE, ALTHOUGH THEMSELVES QUITE

RELAXED ABOUT THE MATTER AND DISPOSED TO TRY AND BE HELPFUL,

(32)

2. THE MAIN DANGER IS OF ILL-FEELING OVER TERMINOLOGY

( YOUR TELNO 52 ). AS YOU SAY NEITHER QUOTE BRITISH CITIZEN

J

OF DEPENDENT OVERSEAS TERRITORIES UNQUOTE MOR QUOTE BRITISH

COLONIAL CITIZEN UNQUOTE SEEMS REALLY SATISFACTORY. INDEED, BOTH

THESE TITLES MIGHT BE CRITICIZED, BY LOCAL OPPONENTS OF THE

CHANGES, AS ANACHROVISTIC AND UNDESIRABLE., AND OPPOSITION TO

EITHER COULD SOON MOUNT TO A POINT AT WHICH ITS IMPOSITION

WOULD CAUSE SERIOUS RESENTMENT,

3. WHILST QUOTE BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN UNQUOTE MIGHT HAVE PROVED

LESS CONTROVERSIAL

1 CAN UNDERSTAND WHY IT SHOULD BE RESERVED

*

FOX PEOPLE WHO BELONG NOWHERE.

CONFIDENTIAL

/ 4. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES,

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