TNAG-1387-FCO40-1835-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1986 — Page 145

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FIDCUUM? H. SOVI

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Children and grandchildren of non-Chinese BDTCs born after 30th June 1997 will acquire British Overseas Citizen status. Children of such grandchildren will, however, be stateless while to further complicate the issue, children of such

stateless citizens if born in China will be Chinese under the Chinese Nationality law.

All of this is extremely complicated and unsettling for the non-Chinese BDTCs and they are entitled to feel that Her Majesty's Government is in effect telling them that they eventually will have to become Chinese nationals or accept the fact that future generations will become stateless.

In short, the British Government is washing its hands of any future responsibility for them and the net effect is that Hong Kong is likely to lose many of these valuable citizens to other territories over the next few years.

For the reasons that I have stated, this should not be allowed to happen. Every effort should be made by this Council and by the Hong Kong authorities to persuade the British Government to accord these less than 10,000 people the protection of British status with the right of abode in Britain or at least retention of BDTC status. The number is small given the population and immigrant/emigrant levels in Britain at present. A great many of the non-Chinese ethnic BDTCs do not wish to leave Hong Kong and would not necessarily wish to go to

or elsewhere Britain/to live but they should be given the right to do so if, for one reason or another, their future life in Hong Kong becomes unsatisfactory and unhappy.

Sir, I wish to record the view which is shared by a number of my colleagues, that the non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong who are BDTCs should, after 30 June 1997, be accorded full British national status with the right of abode in Britain or, at the very least, retention of their BDTC status

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with right of abode in a British Territory.

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