TNAG-0979-FCO40-1198-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1980 — Page 139

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avoid arousing suspicions in the PRC but failing that the new

title should avoid any hint of a change in Hong Kong's status.

6.

Hong Kong would therefore prefer that the present title

of CUKC should be retained, preferably in its present unitary

sense but failing that as the title for colonial belongers

only. To retain it in the former sense would defeat the

principal objective of the main political parties in the UK,

while to keep it in the second sense would transparently be

purely cosmetic and by suggesting that the people concerned

were citizens of the United Kingdom as well as the colonies

would risk falling foul of some human rights or non-

discrimination principle. I therefore recommend that Lord

Carrington should agree that Hong Kong be told that this

proposal is not practicable (para 5 of the draft telegram).

However, Hong Kong have raised the major point that the

title "British Subject" should be retained in addition to

whatever citizenship title is decided to link the different

citizenship categories created by the new legislation.

present law British Subject is synonymous with Commonwealth

citizen so that citizens of all independent Commonwealth

countries and Rhodesia are British Subjects in our law.

proposed to abandon this title in the new legislation except

for 2 obsolescent categories who at present have it and for

whom no satisfactory alternative title seemed appropriate

6.

In our

It was

<

[British Subjects without citizenship and British Subject under

Section 2 of the 1948 Act (Irish Citizens born before 1/1/1948

who elect to remain British Subjects]. This proposal has been

mentioned in the Home Secretary's Paper on the new Nationality

legislation to the Home and Social Affairs Committee of the

Cabinet. Thus it had been tacitly accepted. Nevertheless,

we think that a case can be made for retention of the title

a mone

for one or more of

British Subject in the restricted sense of linking the

? Governor's

༡

alterantie

UK cir

Kit & UK Colonies

Overseas Cit

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/categories