TNAG-1386-FCO40-1834-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 244

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING

ч

: HONG KONG AGREEMENT : NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL

MIPT

TEXT OF THE REPORT IN SCMP OF 19 OCTOBER IS AS FOLLOWS

-

BEGINS

'HEADING:

DESCENDANTS WILL BE STATELESS'. 'PASSPORTS' ATTACKED BY

INDIANS

THE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS HAS CONDEMNED THE

HONGKONG PASSPORT PROPOSALS.

1

IT SAYS THEY OFFER ETHNIC INDIANS 'WATERED-DOWN'' FORMS OF

NATIONALITY AFTER 1997 THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BECOME NO NATIONALITY.

IN A STRONGLY-WORDED STATEMENT YESTERDAY, COUNCIL PRESIDENT

MR HARI HARILELA MADE IT CLEAR INDIANS IN HONGKONG ARE ANGRY ABOUT

THE NATIONALITY PROPOSALS.

AND ALTHOUGH MOST CONSULATES IN HONGKONG REFRAINED FROM COMMENTING IN PUBLIC, SEVERAL ENVOYS PRIVATELY EXPRESSED

RESERVATIONS ON THE ISSUE.

ONE DIPLOMAT SAID BRITAIN HAS SO FAR ONLY MADE ''A RATHER SKIMPY REFERENCE'' TO SEEKING INTERNATIONAL ACKOWLEDGMENT OF THE PROPOSED

TRAVEL DOCUMENT.

''THERE APPEARS TO BE LITTLE THERE ABOUT CONSIDERING THE SITUATION FOR THIRD NATIONS WHO WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT THESE PASSPORT

HOLDERS. HE SAID.

A WHITE PAPER RELEASED ON THURSDAY OUTLINES PROPOSALS FOR THE ISSUE OF NEW BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORTS TO BE USED

BEYOND 1997.

IN HIS STATEMENT, MR HARILELA SAID: THE COUNCIL DOUBTS WHETHER THERE HAS BEEN ANY PRECEDENT IN HISTORY WHEREBY SUCH A SMALL GROUP

OF PEOPLE IS BEING EFFECTIVELY DEPRIVED OF CITIZENSHIP BY THE

CONTINUED REVISIONS OF A COUNTRY'S NATIONALITY LAWS.''

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