TNAG-1085-FCO40-1335-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 62

'381

00 PEKING

GRS 212

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 3yoli

кк

7 OCT 1981

390

DESK OFFICES INDEX

PA

Action Taken

ло

15/10

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 051635Z OCT 81-

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 425 OF 5 OCTOBER

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR).

YOUR TELNO 591: NATIONALITY BILL

30477 - 2

See 692B

(378

1. WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP AS MANY OPTIONS OPEN AS POSIBLE IN CASE

WE CAN HELP HONG KONG OVER THE BILL. FCO TELNO 420 DID NOT

EXPLAIN THAT IF AN ADDITION WERE POSSIBLE THE ALTERNATIVE

DESIGNATIONS WOULD BE COVERED IN A NEW CLAUSE TO THE BILL. THIS

WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT CBDT FORMED A DEFINITE CITIZENSHIP

CATEGORY, BUT FOR PASSPORT OR OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES CBDT

COULD ALTERNATIVELY BE DESCRIBED AS 'BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRI-

TORIES CITIZEN' WITH A FURTHER OPTIONAL VARIATION THAT THE NAME

OF THE TERRITORY MIGHT BE USED INSTEAD OF THE WORDS 'DEPENDENT

TERRITORIES'. IT WOULD THUS AVOID THE SUGGESTION THAT

DEPENDENCIES HAD SEPARATE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENSHIPS.

2. THE ADVANTAGE FOR US IN OMITTING THE BRACKETS AROUND THE NAME

OF A DEPENDENT TERRITORY WOULD BE TO AVOID ANY SUGGESTION THAT

RESIDENTS OF INDIVIDUAL DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WERE BEING ADMITTED

TO A BRANCH OF BRITISH CITIZENSHIP.

3. WE HOPE THEREFORE THAT ON THIS BASIS YOU WILL CONSIDER THAT

IF THE BRACKETS IN 'BRITISH (HONG KONG) CITIZEN' WERE TO BE

OMITTED, IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO ALLAY ANY CHINESE MISGIVINGS,

SHOULD THE NEED EVER ARISE.

CARRINGTON

LIMITED

PS

HKG D

P S/L P S

1

NT D

PS/LORD TREFGARNE

SED

SAMD

WIAD

MR DONALD

MR ADAMS

CONFIDENTIAL