TNAG-1193-FCO40-1495-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 106

GR 200

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

Wb

TUR COM

HKK 340/1

шарв

36/11

AF9/12/1

FM HONG KONG 260938Z NOV 82

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1387 OF 26 NOVEMBER

YOUR TELNO 971-

(227)

NOMENCLATURE IN PASSPORTS

THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON

NOVEMBER 24 (WITH SOME MINOR EDITORIAL AMENDMENTS)

2. THE NEWS WAS WARMLY WELCOMED BY EXCO AND LEGCO AND IN

PARTICULAR BY THE UNOFFICIALS. MR ROGER LOBO ASKED IN LEGCO FOR THE UNOFFICIALS APPRECIATION TO BE PASSED TO H.M.G.

3. THERE WAS SOME CARPING CRITICISM IN THE MEDIA MOSTLY BY

ACADEMICS - ON THE LINES THAT IT WAS MERELY A SYMBOLIC GESTURE

AND THAT IT REPRESENTED NO REAL CHANGE TO THE EFFECT OF THE ACT.

THIS LINE WAS PREDICTABLE SEMI-COLON IT REFLECTS THE CONTINUED

UNDERLYING RESENTMENT OVER THE B.N.A.

4. NEVERTHELESS, I THINK THAT PEOPLE CONCERNED WILL RECOGNISE

IT AS A POSITIVE MOVE. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY HELPFUL THAT THIS

FOCUS OF STRONG RESENTMENT WITHIN UMELCO AS SUCH HAS BEEN

REMOVED. THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR AND DAMAGING ROW IF IT

HAD NOT.

YOUDE

LIMITED

HK & GD

NTD

[THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED]

PS/MR RIFKIND

PS/PUS

MR DONALD

FED

LEGAL ADVISERS

LORD N GORDON LENNOX

NEWS D

MR GIFFARD

PS

PS/LORD BELSTEAD

CONFIDENTIAL

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