4. REACTIONS: NEW OF SIR S Y CHUNG'S PRESS STATEMENT WAS WIDELY REPORTED, SAYING THAT THE SIX POINTS IN THE UMELCO POSITION PAPER HAD BROADLY BEEN REFLECTED AND ACCEPTED DURING THE DEBATE.
UMELCO MEMBERS IN HK GENERALLY ENDORSED THE VIEW, ALTHOUGH SOME
UMELCO MEMBERS MADE FURTHER CALL FOR THE THIRD READING TO BE DEFERRED TO ALLOW TIME FOR HK REACTIONS TO BE PUT FORWARD. THE MAJOR CONCERN NOW APPEARS TO BE THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE NEW
PASSPORT TO THIRD COUNCTIES. SEVERAL DIPLOMATS IN HONG KONG GAVE A CAUTIOUS BUT BROADLY POSITIVE WELCOME TO THE NEW STATUS. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE INDIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERC SAID THAT THE BILL
HAD STILL NOT REMOVED FEARS OF STATELESSNESS FOR HONG KONG'S NON-CHINESE PEOPLE. LEFTWING REACTION WAS MILD: TWO LEADING LEFTWING FIGURES, HO SAI-CHU AND DOROTHY LIU DID NOT ATTACH MUCH IMPORTANCE TO THE NEW TITLE AS SUCH, BUT THE VICE-CHAIRMAN
OF THE PRO-CHINA FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS SAID THAT THE TITLE
''NATIONAL WAS INAPPROPRIATE.
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COMMENTARIES:
5. INDEPENDENT PRESS: SEVEN PAPERS COMMENTED ON THE NEW TITLE,
STRESSING THAT THE MAIN CONCERN NOW WAS THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE NEW PASSPORT TO THIRD COUNTRIES. SCMP WAS LUKEWARM, SAYING THAT
THE FATE OF LOCAL PEOPLE SEEMED TO BE AS PERPETUAL CASTAWAYS OF BRITAIN, NEITHER BELONGING TO OR DEPENDENT ON ANYONE. IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR BRITAIN TO CARRY OUT A WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN TO HAVE THE NEW STATUS ACCEPTED. FINANCIAL DAILY AGREED, WARNING THAT THIRD COUNTRIES MIGHT REJECT THE NEW PASSPORTS SINCE THEY DID NOT PROVIDE HOLDERS WITH ALL THE RIGHTS OF BRITISH CITIZENS. MING PAO SAID THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO EXPALAIN THE NEW NATIONALITY STATUS TO THE PUBLIC AND REFLECT THEIR VIEWS TO BRITAIN: IF LOCAL PEOPLE ACCEPTED IT, THIS WOULD BOOST CONFIDENCE IN THE TERRITORY. THE EXPRESS SAID BRITAIN SHOULD KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH HK ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW PASSPORTS "TO AVOID CONFUSION' AND WAS ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THE TRAVEL RIGHTS OF C 1 HOLDERS. WAH KIU YAT PO REGRETTED THAT BRITAIN HAD REFUSED TO OPEN THE EMERGENCY EXIT'' BY GRANTING RIGHT OF ABODE IN BRITAIN FOR HK PEOPLE: BUT NOW BRITAIN HAD TO SEEK INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE NEW PASSPORTS. SING TAO WAN PAO AGREED WITH THE LATTER POINT, AND DOUBTED THAT MANY HK PEOPLE WANTED SETTLEMENT IN BRITAIN IN ANY CASE.
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