TNAG-0980-FCO40-1199-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1980 — Page 62

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

b) Present UK attitudes to immigration

a large-scale influx

would

make

macceptable. We therefore need to know exactly

пого

officers many peo and their dependents are involved. In

any case the Home Office are likely ・to be unwilling to interpret the cleanse Crown Service' provision very freely.

4. The main problem is that a

to

move

grant Brition Citizenship to these people would excite speculation about HMC's attitude to the territory's future We have already been accused of using the White Paper to distance ourselves from Hong Kong and facilitate a Chinese take-over. if

we publicly made these officers British citizens (and it would be impossible to do it secretly! this would, justifiably,

be seen as

an indication that HMG was

pessimistic about the territory's future.

(excluding the idea

TITS IS A COPY

UNTIL

THES

EXEMPTION No 38

A CLOSED

UNDER FO:

publicaking these people a special 6. We seem to have 34 alternatives:

a) To reject the request on the basis

regard re-absorption by

that we

China

as impossible. This would

Laffect morale an

among the officers, and, possibly, their loyalty to the UK.

that

b) To state that present circumstances do not make a grant of UK citizenship Poss necessary, but to undertake to posset

review the problem regularly. This might require an amendment to the Act at a later date and arouse considerable public interest.

e) To

does

it

ensure the Crown service idea include the officers, but that applies to all the Dependent

case')

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