TNAG-1386-FCO40-1834-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 73

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DEC 04 '85 18:42 GIS HK

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for a certificate of entry beforehand.

It should also

This is the

be made clear that holders of the passport have the right of permanent residence in Hong Kong. minimum moral obligation which Britain has to take up. It is a matter of regret that during the past few years, the British Government has not been able, in any real, moral, or timely sense, to look after the interests of British subjects in Hong Kong. It therefore seems that Hong Kong BDTCs have no real alternative but to apply for the new passports after 1st July 1997, and this is an extreme predicament to be

in.

You, Sir and other Members of this Council might be aware that certain resolutions have been concluded in principle at the meeting of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group, which ended in Beijing last week, concerning the status, use, and details of implementation of the new passport.

The Chinese

Government has agreed that in the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region citizens can hold concurrently passports or travel documents issued by the Special Administrative Region Government and British National (Overseas) passports, the latter being considered only as travel documents by the Chinese Government. I am nonetheless deeply concerned about the future plight of some 960,000

Certificate-of-Identity holders. According to statistics obtained from the Hong Kong Immigration Department, there are about 160,000

Certificate-of-Identity holders going in and out of Hong Kong every month, Some of my colleagues in this Council are included in this figure. They may travel

From my for business or tourism, or for other reasons. estimate, there are more than 100,000 people who are eligible to obtain Certificates of Identity but, for

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