TNAG-1330-FCO40-1757-Future-of-Hong-Kong-test-of-the-acceptability-of-the-Joint-D-1984 — Page 181

CRS600 DEDI P

SECRET

FM HONG KONG 08100OZ OCT 8 dit

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

SECRET

TELEGRAM NUMBER 3155 OF 8 OCTOBER

FOLLOWING PERSONAL FOR CRADOCK FROM HADDON-CAVE

YOUR TELNO 2012.

1.39

RECEIV

MIPT: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: TEST OF ACCEPTABILITY.

HROPHO A6

FY

10 OCT 1984

! SAI

GRIS/10

}

(145

BEGINS

A. OVERALL ACCEPTABILITY.

DURING THIS PERIOD SOME 400 LETTERS FROM INDIVIDUALS WERE RECEIVED. OF THESE ONLY 30 WERE ANONYMOUS: A FURTHER 37 WERE CLASSIFIED AS DUBIOUS OR IRRELEVANT. DURING THIS FIRST PERIOD THEREFORE, COLLATED VIEWS WERE MAINLY FROM SUBMISSIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS AND THE MEDIA, ALTHOUGH 13 BRIEF SUBMISSIONS FROM MINOR ORGANISATIONS CAME IN. THE INITIAL RESPONSE INDICATED A

A CLEAR SUPPORT FOR THE DRAFT AGREEMENT. THERE WAS, HOWEVER, FAIR NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO DID NOT INDICATE CLEARLY THEIR VIEWS ON THE OVERALL ACCEPTABILITY, OR OTHERWISE, OF THE DRAFT AGREEMENT. THOSE NOT IN FAVOUR OF THE DRAFT AGREEMENT, IN THE MINORITY, TNEDED TO DRAW UPON THE PERCEIVED PAST POOR CHINESE TRACK RECORD AS THE BASIS FOR THEIR FINDING THE DRAFT AGREEMENT UNACCEPTABLE. OTHERS WHO OBJECTED WERE IDENTIFIED TO BE PRO-TAIWAN. THERE WAS ALSO GENERAL SCEPTICISM ABOUT

IMPLEMENTATION.

B. SPECIAL POINTS OF CONCERN AS INDICATED BY INDIVIDUALS. OF PREPONDERANCE, THE FOLLOWING TOPICS ATTRACTED COMMENTS FROM INDIVIDUALS:-

(1) NATIONALITY, RIGHT OF ABODE, TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. WHETHER OR NOT THE FUTURE SAR PASSPORTS, AND THE SPECIAL BRITISH PASSPORT (TRAVEL DOCUMENT) WOULD WIN INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION WAS ONE OF THE WORRIES EXPRESSED. OTHERS FELT THAT THE NEW BRITISH PASSPORT SHOULD ALSO ENTITLE ITS HOLDER TO BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION IN HONG KONG. (A NUMBER OF LETTERS WERE RECEIVED FROM INDIVIDUALS, E.G. NON-ETHNIC CHINESE EXPRESSING WORRIES ABOUT THEIR STATELESSNESS). A NUMBER OF WRITERS FELT THAT BRITAIN HAD A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS HONG KONG BDTC HOLDERS TO ASSIST THEM TO RESETTLE ELSEWHERE.

(2) DEFENCE, SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER.

PEOPLE WHO COMMENTED ON THIS POINT WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CONSCRIPTION AND, MOREOVER, ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE OF THE TROOPS TO BE STATIONED IN HONG KONG POST 1997. IN THIS RESPECT, SOME EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THE PLA TROOPS SHOULD COME UNDER THE DIRECT COMMAND OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN HONG KONG. EVEN ACCEPTING THE RIGHT FOR CHINA TO STATION TROOPS IN HONG KONG, SOME INDIVIDUALS QUESTIONED THE NEED. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SHOULD

CONTINUE TO BE UNDER STRICT CONTROL. SECRET

/3