TNAG-1193-FCO40-1495-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 154

Mr Howells

NTD

(CL537)

CONFIDENTIAL

HITK 3.40 ||

HONG KONG PASSPORTS: MPS' LETTERS

1.

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Your minute of 15 November asked for my comments on Mr Fong Yun-wah's letters to Mr Blaker and Mr Trippier.

2.

Аргым

Mr Fong is well-known to us. He is a prominent business- man and well-meaning philanthropist who spends much of his time writing to people all over the world, including Presidents and Prime Ministers, giving his idionsyncratic views on subjects ranging from cyclones to the Iran/Iraq war, and from the future of Hong Kong to Mark Thatcher's safe return from the Sahara.

3.

I believe that Mr Fong's MBE was awarded some years ago for his philanthropic work, Although he still has contacts with a number of well-known people, he is certainly not now a figure of any great influence in Hong Kong, and his views on nationality, as on other matters, do not represent anyone but himself. I would not therefore place any significance on his letter, particularly as he does not actually go as far as proposing that the use of the term 'British Subject Citizens' rather than BDTCs should entitle such people automatically to entry to the UK. I am afraid that we are bound to get letters of this type from Hong Kong residents as 1997 approaches: I do not think that they seriously undermine our assertion that the Unofficials and the Hong Kong Government accept that there is no connection between nationality description and immigration status.

16 November 1982

Din in

R D Clift

Hong Kong and General Department

сс

PS/Mr Rifkind

CONFIDENTIAL

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