345
GRS 400
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1717
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK040/4
27 AUG 1985
OF 23095OZ AUGUST 85
INFO-IMMEDIATE PEKING
(341
Conveedo по
OUR TELNO 1694: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL.
1. MIFT CONTAINS OUR COMMENTS ON THE LIST OF HONG KONG BDTCS WHO
WILL LOSE BDTC STATUS AND MAY ACQUIRE BN(0) STATUS IN YOUR TELNO
1163..
357
2. WE ARE DOUBTFUL ABOUT THE WISDOM OF PUBLISHING THE LIST AS AN
ANNEX TO THE WHITE PAPER. REASONS ARE
(A) WE CANNOT BE SURE THAT THIS LIST IS EXHAUSTIVE. IN ITS PRESENT
FORM THE LIST GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES
ARE MORE OR LESS EQUAL IN NUMBERS. BUT IN FACT OF THE ROUGHLY
3.2 MILLION BDTCS KNOWN TO THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT
(EXCLUDING BDTCS BY DESCENT BORN OUTSIDE HONG KONG AND OTHER
NUMERICALLY INSIGNIFICANT CATEGORIES), ABOUT ROUGHLY 3.18 MILLION ARE BDTCS BY BIRTH, AND ROUGHLY 53,000 ARE BDTCS BY
REGISTRATION OR NATURALISATION. THUS MOST OF THE CATEGORIES
IDENTIFIED IN THE LIST HAVE NO APPLICATION TO THE BULK OF
THE BDTCS IN HONG KONG:
(B) WE APPRECIATE THAT THE LIST WOULD BE USEFUL FROM THE POINT OF
VIEW OF ILLUSTRATING THE BDTCS AFFECTED, ESPECIALLY FOR DISC-
USSIONS WITH, SAY, LEGAL BODIES OR CONSULAR STAFF AT A
TECHNICAL LEVEL. BUT MUCH OF THE DETAIL IN THE LIST INVOLVING
CROSS-REFERENCES TO VARIOUS BRITISH NATIONALITY ACTS WOULD
BE OF LITTLE INTEREST TO THE MAN IN THE STREET. ON THE CONTRARY, IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY TO CAUSE UNNECESSARY CONFUSION AND MISUNDERSTANDING TO THE LAYMAN. THIS IS UNDESIRABLE
GIVEN THAT THE WHITE PAPER IS INTENDED TO GIVE GENERAL
GUIDANCE RATHER THAN TO DRAW ITS READERS INTO DETAILED
CONSIDERATION OF TECHNICAL MATTERS.
CONFIDENTIAL
13.
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