TNAG-1386-FCO40-1834-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 75

DEC 04 '85 18:51 GIS HK

MARTIN LEE

UMELCO

DRAFT SPEECH BY HON MARTIN LEE, QC, JP LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 4.12.85

548

ник оюн

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

1 1 DEC 1985

PA

N-GISTRY

Taken

Sir,

The White Paper on the Draft Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986

N

The solution of the Hong Kong problem by the Chinese and the British governments in the Joint Declaration is to adopt a policy of "1 country 2 systems" for 50 years from Tuesday, 1st July 1997.

In order to implement its obligations under the Joint Declaration, the British government finds it necessary to introduce yet another type of nationality, namely, British National (Overseas)

thus adopting a formula of "1.

There is a different British

country, 6 citizenships".

passport for each of these six types of British nationals. They all have the same blue colour, but with different shades of Britishness. Only one can be described as Royal Blue, as it is the only one that allows its holder entry to Britain.

I agree with my honourable colleagues,

that

the minority groups in Hong Kong deserve a better deal than what is now given to them. As they are not of Chinese origin, they cannot be expected to share the same positive feelings of some Chinese in Hong Kong about the return to motherland. Many of these non-Chinese British nationals had come to Hong Kong not because it was Chinese territory, but because it was British. They chose Hong Kong "because they had faith in the laws and the system of government of Great Britain and because they chose to give or to continue their allegiance to Great Britain". (Para 9 of the Petition by the Council of Hong Kong Indian Associations to UMELCO repeating the words in their Petition to Your Excellency dated 17th January, 1985.)

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