TNAG-1083-FCO40-1333-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 65

00 HONG KONG DESKBY 220200Z

GRS 207

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 220200Z

FM FCO 211645Z APR 81

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

AKK 34011

RECEIVED IN AEGISTRY NO. 51

CONFIDENTIAL2 3 APR 1981

TELEGRAM NUMBER 392 OF 21 APRIL.

FOR GOVERNOR FROM CLIFT

YOUR TELNO 433: NATIONALITY BILL

225

1.

INDEX

مد

REGISTRY Action Taken

7151

fox | | 23/4

13.4

IN THE EXTRACT WHICH YOU QUOTE, MR LUCE WAS NOT SPEAKING

FROM A FORMAL TEXT. WHAT HE UNDOUBTEDLY MEANT WAS THAT FOR THE

FIRST TIME THE CITIZENSHIP TITLE OF PEOPLE FROM THE DEPENDENCIES

WOULD DIFFER FROM THAT OF PEOPLE IN THE UK AND THAT THE DEPENDENCIES WANTED TO ENSURE THAT ANY SUCH DIFFERENCE WAS AS

LIMITED AS POSSIBLE. THIS FORMED PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE

GOVERNMENT'S CASE AGAINST SEPARATE CITIZENSHIPS AND MR LUCE

WAS STRESSING THE PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY OF THE DEPENDENCIES

AS A RESULT OF THE TITLE CHANGES WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN PROPOSED.

2. THIS IS NOT INCONSISTENT WITH WHAT WAS SAID IN FCO TELNO

290. THAT TELEGRAM WAS REFERRING TO A COMMON FEATURE THAT WOULD

STILL EXIST. (THE CONCEPT THAT PEOPLE REMAIN 'NATIONALS' OF THE

COUNTRY WHOSE GOVERNMENT HAS A PRIMA FACIE ENTITLEMENT TO

REPRESENT THEIR INTERESTS IN DEALINGS WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS).

BUT THERE STILL NEED BE DIFFERENT CITIZENSHIP TITLES AND MR LUCE

WAS MERELY STATING THE FACT THAT THERE HAD NEVER BEFORE BEEN

SUCH DIFFERENCES HAD NOT EXISTE4D BEFORE IN RESPECT OF THE UK AND

THE DEPENDENCIES.

3. WE WILL REPLY THIS WEEK TO YOUR TELNO 408. MEANWHILE I HOPE

THIS WILL SERVE TO EXPLAIN THE POSITION.

1

See 233

See

230

CARRINGTON

LIMITED

HKGD

NTD

FED

SIR E YOUDE

MR DONALD

MR ADAMS

لا تدرsof

HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE, LONDON

AL

228