TNAG-1192-FCO40-1494-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 14

R 11 (Revised)

memorandum

>

DRAFT:

minutsetter/telelettor/despatch/mate

FROM:

Secretary of State

DEPARTMENT:

URITY CLASSIFICATION,

TO:

› Secret

Prime Minister

ret

fidential

tricted

TEL. NO:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

Your Reference

Copies to: Secretary of State for

Home Affairs

classified

VACY MARKING

.......................In Confidence

VEAT.

osures-flag(s)......................

SUBJECT: HONG KONG PASSPORTS

1. The Home Secretary and I have given further thought

to Hong Kong passports which we discussed with you on 21

October We have in particular considered the questions

then raised about the implications of describing the

nationality of Hong Kong belongers as British in their

passports, and on what the passport to be issued in future

to Hong Kong belongers might look like.

2.

On the first of these two points the proposed new

wording presents no strictly legal problem. The descrip-

tion of nationality in passports, which are documents to

facilitate international travel, is not bound to follow

precisely the definitions of citizenship in our domestic

legislation. There is no doubt that the holders of Hong

Kong passports are British in the internationally accepted

sense that we are entitled to give them consular protection

and to represent their interests abroad.

T

3. On the other hand to add 'British' in the space

provided for 'National status' in Hong Kong passports will

affect the symmetry and clarity of our original scheme,

which was that the entry under 'National status' should in

/every