TNAG-1387-FCO40-1835-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1986 — Page 108

Sir,

UMELCO

DRAFT SPEECH BY HON ALLEN LEE, OBE, JP

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL - 4.12.85

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

I am a holder of the Hong Kong Certificate of Identity, therefore I can claim that I am not speaking for my personal interest. This afternoon my colleagues will speak on other

I only want issues in relation to the British Nationality Order. to concentrate on the issue of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.

Since the publication of the Order, there are considerable concerns among the minorities in Hong Kong that they will become stateless. Eventhough they are offered British Overseas Citizenship (BOC) after 1st July 1997, and provisions would be made for their children and grandchildren born after 1997 for BOC status, there is a distinct possibility that the third generation of the minority group will become stateless.

The Indian Community made representation to UMELCO and expressed strongly even if HMG obtains the agreement from the Chinese Government that their future descendants can apply for Chinese citizenship, but they are reluctant, at this point in time, to commit themselves on acceptance.

Sir, no one should become stateless during the transfer of sovereignty nor in the future. We are living in a free world. These minorities in Hong Kong choose to become British

It nationals because they have faith in the British Government. is unethical for the British Government to turn her back and wash her hands clean with regard to less than ten thousand minorities in this category. One argument that I have heard is that even for a British citizen living outside of Britain for two generations, the third generation will lose British citizenship;

UMELCO