[HK2AHG]
Main 04014
NELL
'EGISTRY
- 2 DEC 1985
E
A
PS/Mr Renton
REGISTRY
Action Taken:
Mininker
CONFIDENTIAL
Manho
28/11
ли читала ака
Mr
FROM: W G Ehrman
15
523
Layden 2/12 ma Poule
чит
Ma
DA TE : 28 November 1985
very
complicated
Ча
Pay Bliz
1.
A
HONG KONG: NATIONALI TY
R TIM RENTON
Mr Ren ton asked three questions relating to BN (0)
status on reading FCO telegram number 1848 to Hong Kong:
HKK040/28 (333
(a) Why create a new British nationality for HK BD TC s?
2.
Why not make
The decision
nationality for
created
them BOC s?
to create a special category of British
"British nationals by virtue of a
be
to the
connection with Hong Kong" was originally taken at the
time of the British Nationality Act (BNA) 1981. An early
suggestion when that Act was being drafted was that only
two new categories of British nationality. should
British Citizenship and British Overseas
Citizenship. This however proved unacceptable
people of Hong Kong. They were at that time Citizens of
the UK and Colonies and were most unhappy with the
decision to abandon this unitary form of citizenship.
They argued that they should have a citizenship which, if
it no longer reflected a connection with
the UK, at the
very least should reflect their connection with Hong Kong.
Hence British Dependent Territories Citizenship was
created by the BNA 1981, although to this day the people
of Hong Kong regard
this as very much a "1 second
status and consider that the 1981 Act
specifically to distance Hong Kong from the UK.
was
class"
designed
CONFIDEN TIAL
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