TNAG-1295-FCO40-1650-Visits-by-members-of-the-Office-of-the-Unofficial-Members-of-1984 — Page 84

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25 JUL 1984

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DD 210100Z HONG KONG

GRS 339

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DESKBY 210100Z

FM FCO 201650Z JULY 84

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1378 OF 20 JULY

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

PQ'S BY TREVOR SKEET MP

1. MR SKEET HAS PUT DOWN THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN

ANSWER ON 24 JULY:

A) TO ASK THE SECRETARY OF STATE WHAT STEPS HE PROPOSES TO TAKE TO RESOLVE DIFFICULTIES CREATED FOR CITIZENS OF HONG KONG WHO RECEIVE NO RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM UNDER THE NATIONALITY ACT 1981 AND NO RIGHTS UNDER THE NATIONALITY LAW DATED 10TH SEPTEMBER 1980 OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. B) TO ASK THE SECRETARY OF STATE WHAT IS LIKELY TO BE THE STATUS OF CHINESE WHO CROSSED THE BORDER INTO HONG KONG AS POLITICAL REFUGEES IN RECENT YEARS FOLLOWING THE TRANSFER OF

SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA.

C) TO ASK THE SECRETARY OF STATE WHAT IS LIKELY TO BE THE STATUS OF REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM WHO REMAIN IN HONG KONG

FOLLOWING THE TRANSFER OF POWER TO CHINA.

2. WE PROPOSE FOLLOWING REPLIES:

A)

BEGINS: QUESTIONS OF NATIONALITY ARE UNDER

DISCUSSION IN THE TALKS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG BEING HELD

IN PEKING BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS. THE

CONTENT OF THESE TALKS IS CONFIDENTIAL. ENDS

B) BEGINS: IMMIGRANTS FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARE CLASSIFIED UNDER HONG KONG IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION AS 'CHINESE RESIDENTS' ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN ORDINARILY RESIDENT IN HONG KONG FOR A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF NOT LESS THAN 7 YEARS.

THEY THEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO LAND IN HONG KONG. THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR STATUS WILL CHANGE IN THE EVENT THAT

SOVEREIGNTY IS TRANSFERRED TO CHINA. ENDS

C)

BEGINS: THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN CAMPS

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