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A QUESTION OF BELONGING
The JCWI Report on British Nationality Law and the future of Hong Kong
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The report concentrates on British nationals in HK with no other nationality.
The Assessment Office reported that most terms of the Agreement were acceptable but that the reaction to the proposed nationality changes was much less positive.
BOC and BN (0) status are different names for the same thing.
4 During the Nationality Bill debates the people of HK wanted to secure their
status as HK British, but instead were included with the territories
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which had not yet gained their independence HK could never become independent.
5 HK took no part in the negotiations about its futurre.
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The Chinese authorities appear unwilling to see fully representative democracy in HK.
7 There is an underlying sense of anger at the devaluation of the citizenship
the people were born with or chose to acquire.
8 HK people did not want right of abode in Britain, but a meaningful citizenship.
which identified their connection with Britain, or their separate identity as HK British.
9 It is now impossible to grant full British citizenship to British nationals in HK without jeopardising the Agreement to do so would be seen as an attempt to retain British sovereignty.
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10 Many HK people are leaving HK to establish rights of residence elsewhere.
and then planning to return to HK.
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Britain cannot deny its role in the creation of HK's history.
12 Compare the treatment of the people of HK with that of the people of
Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands both are also territories which can
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never achieve full independence.
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The Portugese have given full citizenship to the people of Macau. In future, under the EEC Treaty, these people will have the right of entry into Britain, whereas the people of HK will not.
The provision in S4(5) should be used and extended to other British nationals in HK, and the criteria for registration under the section should be clearly set out.
15 If the British Government believes its assurances that the Agreement with China is watertight, then there would be no need to use such a provision.
16 Non-Chinese British nationals in HK will be dependent for a place to live on
China, a country which has no ultimate responsibility for them. The people
in Hong Kong of non-Chinese origin came to HK because it was British, not because it was Chinese.
17 ChineseBDTCs who become BN(0)s have a genuine citizenship and a right to live
in the country of their citizenship. Non-Chinese BDTCs do not.
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