TNAG-1382-FCO40-1830-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 141

CONFIDENTIAL

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From The Minister of State Richard Luce MP

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

HKK 040/4

1. 1 MAR 1985

London SW1A 2AH

what

David Waddington Esq QC MP

Home Office

50 Queen Annes Gate London SW1H 9AT

Dea. Dand

HONG KONG BILL:

8 March 1985

Mr Red 11-3 dr galite 873

*

capied to: Grainger

TRANSMISSIBILITY OF BOC STATUS

13/3 Burrows

As you know we have come under pressure from both the Executive Council of Hong Kong and in Parliament on the question of what will happen to the further generations born to non-Chinese former BDTCs in Hong Kong after 1 July 1997.

and

we

This was an issue of some controversy in the House of Commons and was also raised in the Second Reading debate in the House of Lords. We understand that Baroness Vickers, with the support of the Bishop of Birmingham, will lay an amendment to the Bill dealing with this question particularly in relation to ethnic Indians. We have not yet seen the proposed amendment. We think it likely that it will seek to give right of abode here to the people in question. There is considerable sympathy in the Lords with the intentions of the proposers, believe there i S a real chance that such an amendment could be passed by the Lords This could cause us considerable difficulties since there is also concern in the Commons on the same point, and a good deal of pressure there even from

from rather unlikely quarters in favour of giving right of abode. I therefore think that we should do the maximum possible to head off the amendment and that we need to take as conciliatory a line as possible. We need to convince the House both that we are doing as much as we reasonably can as regards the acquisition of BOC status, and

and that the position of people who will not be entitled to it is not hopeless.

>

With your agreement, we took the holding line in the House of Commons and at the Second Reading in the Lords that we appreciated that there was concern about potential statelessness arising among subsequent generations of non-Chinese persons in Hong Kong.

It

CONFIDENTIAL

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