TNAG-1386-FCO40-1834-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 64

GRS 650

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

549

ний особи

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

11 DEC 1985

DESK OFFIC

TOP COR

CC

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2770

OF O9O44OZ DECEMBER 85

INDEX

PA

NEO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFAGE

548

PEKNING

MIPT : NATHONALITY ORDER #N COUNCHL : LEGCO ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

ON 4 DECEMBER: SUMMARY OF MEDHA COVERAGE

TEXT OF SCMP EDITORIAL ON 5 DECEMBER #S AS FOLLOWS :

LEGCO'S CANUTES CONFRONT THE TIDE

N WHAT WAS DUBBED THE ''ONE-COUNTRY, SIX-CITIZEN SHIPS'' DEBATE, HONG KONG WITNESSED YESTERDAY A SPIRITED LAST-MINUTES ATTEMPT TO ARREST A SLIDE THAT BEGAN MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO IN THE STATUS AND RIGHTS OF BRITAIN'S SUBJECTS MN HONG KONG.

-

TEN LEGISLATIVE COUNCAL UNOFFICIALS DEBATED THE PROPOSED NATIONALITY DEAL FOR HONGKONG RESIDENTS AFTER 1997, SPECIFICALLY HOW HIT WILL AFFECT THE 3.5 MILLION BDTC PASSPORT HOLDERS. THEIR MESSAGE WAS CLEAR AND FORCEFUL: THE PACKAGE AS IT PRESENTLY STANDS NN THE WHITE PAPER WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH: THE PROPOSED BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORT WAS JUST A TRAVEL DOCUMENT AND CARRIED NO RIGHT OF ABODE: PROMISES ABOUT HTS ACCEPTABILITY BY THIRD NATIONS WERE NOT TRUSTED. DESPITE THE CONVICTION AND ELOQUENCE OF THE SPEAKERS IT WAS #MPOSS- IBLE, AT TIMES, DURING THE DEBATE NOT TO HAVE VISIONS OF KHÔNG #TS PUBLIC CANUTE TRYING TO HOLD BACK THE THIDE, THE CHAMBER GALLERIES PACKED WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF ETHNIC MINORITES – WAS TAKEN ON A SAD JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF BRITISH IMMIGRATION ACTS. NINETEEN SIXTY-TWO ...1971 ...1981 ...A SAGA OF THE RAGHTS OF A TRUSTING PEOPLE BEING ERODED, THEIR STATUS DOWNGRADED. WITHOUT NAMING NAMES, MR STEPHEN CHEONG ALLEGED THAT ELEVENTH-HOUR UMELCO EFFORTS IN 1981 TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF HONGKONG PEOPLE WERE THWARTED BY PEOPLE 'SUPPOSEDLY OUR FRIENDS''. BY ACCUSING THEM OF DEPLOYING SKILFUL STALLING TACTICS HE BOLDLY BROUGHT HINTO THE OPEN WORRIES THAT HAVE NAGGED MANY PEOPLE ABOUT HOW THAT CRITICAL PERNOD IN HONGKONG'S HISTORY WAS HANDLED.

HOWEVER, AS MR JOHN SWAINE SAID IN KICKING OFF THE DEBATE, IT IS NOT TOOL LATE FOR SOME MEASURE OF GOODWILL TO BE SALVAGED. INDEED, THE UNOFFICIALS ARE TO BE COMMENDED FOR THEIR VALIANT ATTEMPTS TO SECURE A BETTER DEAL FROM WESTMINSTER.

SHORTLY BEFORE THE DEBATE BEGAN, HIT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT CHINA AND BRITAIN HAD AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO THE WORDING ON THE NEW BNO PASSPORT. ATTENTION WAS RIGHTLY DRAWN BY UNOFFICIALS YESTERDAY TO AN APPARENT DISPARITY BETWEEN THE FORMULA HAMMERED OUT BY THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND A STATEMENT LAST FEBRUARY BY THE THEN MINISTER OF STATE, MR RICHARD LUCE, IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

1

IMR LUKE