TNAG-1386-FCO40-1834-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 234

GRS 2000

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

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OF 19052OZ OCTOBER 35

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING.

MIPT HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL

HKK 040/4

TEXT OF THE SUMMARY OF MEDIA COVERAGE AND COMMENTS ON THE WHITE PAPER ON 18 OCTOBER IS AS FOLLOWS

BEGINS.

MEDIA COVERAGE AND COMMENTS ON

6.

h

WHITE PAPER ON THE DRAFT HK (BRITISH NATIONALITY) ORDER 1926.

MEDIA COVERAGE.

1705

THE MEDIA GAVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO THE PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE NATIONALITY STATUS FOR BDTCS IN HK CONTINED IN THE WHITE PAPER ON THE DRAFT HK (BRITISH NATIONALITY) ORDER 1986 RELEASED YESTERDAY AND

TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE HELD BY SECRETARY FOR SECURITY DAVID

JEAFFRESON AND OTHER OFFICIALS. MANY PAPERS, INCLUDING MING PAO, WAH KIU YAT PO, SING PAO, SING TAO JIH PAO AND THE FINANCIAL DAILY, CARRIED THE FULL TEXT OF THE WHITE PAPER. MOST PAPERS CARRIED

VERY DETAILED SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSALS. THE LEFT-WING PRESS GAVE THE

STORY A GOOD RUN. WEN WEI PO CARRIED THE STORY ON ITS BACK

PAGE LEAD AND HAD A QUESTION-AND-ANSWER ACCOUNT. OF THE REMARKS

BY MR JEAFFRESON. CHING PO AND THE HK COMMERCIAL DAILY USED THE

STORY AS FRONT PAGE LEAD. TA KUNG PAO, HOWEVER, CARRIED THE STOPY AS

AN INSIDE PAGE LEAD ON PAGE 5.

A NUMBER OF PAPERS REPORTED ON THE SHARP EXCHANGES BETWEEN SEVERAL

FOREIGN JOURNALISTS AND THE OFFICIALS GIVING THE PRESS CONFERENCE

YESTERDAY. ONE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT ACCUSED THE HK GOVERNMENT OF FAILING TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT THE NEW PASSPORT WOULD BE ACCEPTED

BY THIRD COUNTRIES. HE DECLARED: ! I AM ASHAMED OF BEING A

BRITISH.' SEVERAL OTHER FOREIGN JOURNALISTS APPLAUDED. ANOTHER

JOURNALIST REPRESENTING AN AMERICAN NEWS ORGANISATION ACCUSED THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT OF FAILING TO MEET ITS COMMITMENTS. A WOMAN JOURNALIST FORCED PAS AT THE SECURITY BRANCH REGINA IP AND

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION K.C. KUO TO REVEAL THE TYPE OF

PASSPORT THEY WERE HOLDING. BOTH SAID THEY WERE HOLDING BDTC

PASSPORTS AND THEY WOULD LET THEIR CHILDREN DECIDE WHAT PASSPORT

THEY WOULD HAVE. THEY SAID THEY WOULD APPLY FOR A EN(O) PASSPORT.

THE EXCHANGES LASTED FOR MORE THAN TEN MINUTES.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN CAID A COPY OF THE WHITE PAPER HAT

BEEN SENT TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT VIA THE CHINESE EMPASSY IN

LONDON AS A MATTER OF COURTESY.

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