TNAG-1373-FCO40-1819-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 6

5. SIR S. Y. CHUNG SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNISE THAT HONG

KONG WAS NOT BECOMING INDEPENDENT. ANY DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLITICAL

SYSTEM MUST NOT PUT HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY AT STAKE.

MISS DUNN SAID THERE HAD RECENTLY BEEN SOME SOFTENING OF THE POSOTION

OF SOME OF THOSE ADVOCATING DIRECT ELECTIONS. THERE WAS A NEED TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE NEW MEMBERS OF LECCO IN POLITICAL REALITIES, BUT THIS WOULD NEED TO BE DONE SKILFULLY WITH A VIEW TO LETTING THEM

COME TO THE RIGHT CONCLUSION THEMSELVES. MISS MARIA TAM SAID THE

BEST LINE TO TAKE WAS TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND UNTIL THE 1987 SEVIEW.

NATIONALITY

6. MR. RENTON SAID HE REALISED THAT SOME OF HMG'S POLICIES ON

NATIONALITY MATTERS HAD CAUSED RESENTMENT IN HONG KONG. AS REGARDS THE FUTURE, THERE WAS A NEED TO BALANCE CHINA'S SENSITIVITIES WITH

HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC CONCERNS. HE HAD NOTED HONG KONG'S CONCERN

ABOUT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF BN(0) PASSPORTS, AND COULD ASSURE MEMBERS

THAT HMG WOULD SPARE NO EFFORTS TO SECURE MAXIMUM ACCEPTANCE BY

THIRD COUNTRIES.

7. SIR S. Y. CHUNG MADE THREE POINTS :

(A) IT WOULD FACILITATE ACCEPTANCE BY THIRD COUNTRIES IF HMG

THEMSELVES ALLOWED BN(0) PASSPORT HOLDERS TO ENTER THE UK FREELY

FOR VISITS.

(3) IT WOULD BE CRUCIAL TO ENSURE THAT BN(0) PASSPORT HOLDERS

WOULD NOT NEED TO SHOW THEIR HONG KONG IDENTITY CARDS TO GAIN ENTRY

INTO THIRD COUNTRIES.

(C) HMG SHOULD MAKE KNOWN TO HONG KONG PEOPLE THE RESULTS OF THEIR

EFFORTS TO GET BN (0) PASSPORTS ACCEPTED. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE

COUSULS-GENERAL OF THIRD COUNTRIES COULD ANNOUNCE IN HONG KONG

THEIR COUNTRIES' ACCEPTANCE OF THESE PASSPORTS.

8. MR. RENTON EXPLAINED THAT UK ENTRY CERTIFICATES WERE OPTIONAL

AND WERE DESIGNED TO FACILITATE CLEARANCE THROUGH IMMIGRATION.

GALSWORTHY ADDED THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF ISSUING LONGER-TERM,

MULTIPLE-ENTRY CERTIFICATES WAS BEING CONSIDERED, BUT THAT IT WOULD

NOT BE ADVISABLE TO ABOLISH ENTRY CERTIFICATES ALTOGETHER,

9. MR. SANDBERG SAID THE RIGHT OF ABODE ENDORSEMENT IN BN (0)

PASSPORTS SHOULD BE SETTLED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MR. RENTON SAID

THE QUESTION WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT JLG MEETING. SIR S.Y.

CHUNG SAID THE WORDING WOULD BE IMPORTANT. THE ENDORSEMENT SHOULD

REFER TO THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG DIRECTLY AND NOT VIA THE

HONG KONG IDENTITY CARD. AN INDIRECT REFERENCE WOULD STIMULATE

IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS IN THIRD COUNTRIES TO ASK TO SEE THE IDENTITY

CARD AS WELL. MR. RENTON SAID THAT HE DID NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY

IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR HONG KONG RESIDENTS TO CARRY BOTH DOCUMENTS IF NECESSARY, AND POINTED OUT THAT IDENTITY CARDS WERE

OFTEN CARRIED BY TRAVELLERS ELSEWHERE. SIR S.Y. CHUNG, SUPPORTED

BY MISS DUNN, SAID THAT THIS WOULD MAKE THE 3N(0) PASSPORT AN

|ANOTHE

INFERIOR DOCUMENT TO THE EXTENT THAT IT NEEDED TO BE SUPPORTED BY / ANOTHE

-2 CONFIDENTIAL