TNAG-1405-FCO40-1880-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 24

CODE 18-77 AWO Ltd. 7/84

[HK1ADQ]

Mr Miller, MVD

FILE

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference...

HONG KONG BDTC'S RESIDING IN USA:

MEXICAN VISAS

93

tikk oky 28 2

1. We spoke about Mrs Peggy Dee's (Hong Kong Immigration Dept) letter of 28 May and enclosures which Olivia Walker had copied

to you.

It seems to me that Mrs Dee's letter divides into two distinct aspects:

2.

(a)

(b)

The way

in which the Mexican Consulate General and the British Consulate General in New York treated Mrs Lui and

Mrs Yau;

Whether the Mexican attitude reflects genuine nervousness about the returnability of Hong Kong BDTC's visiting Mexico, and, if it does, the future implications for "British National (Overseas)" (BN (0)) passport holders.

I should welcome your views, and those. of copy recipients of

arising this minute, on the following points from (a) and (b) above.

1

3. Having looked at the photocopied pages of the passport which our Consulate General in New York issued to Mrs Lui in 1979, I suppose it is arguable that the Mexicans did breach Article 2 of our bilateral Visa Abolition Agreement (VAA) with them.

(para 2 of your minute of 10 July to

Ms Walker). Although the photocopy is a

a poor one, the front page of Mrs Lui's passport appears to bear the inscription "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Furthermore Mrs Lui's national status was recorded in her passport in 1979 as "British subject, Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies".

4.

Is there anything in our VAA with Mexico to the effect that the "subject to UK immigration control" endorsement in Mrs Lui's passport precluded her from visa free entry to Mexico? Even if there is not I imagine that any case that we made out to the Mexicans on technical grounds would be weak, given that the { UK/Mexico VAA has not been extended to Hong Kong. I should, however, welcome your views.

5.

(i)

»

I should like also to ask you the following:

If Mrs Lui's initial difficulties with the Mexican Consulate stemmed from the "subject to UK immigration control" endorsement in her passport, is there anything she could have done. in advance which might have avoided them? I wonder, for example, if Hong kong BDTC's resident in third countries were ever advised by some method (eg letters from Our overseas posts) that they should seek the earliest practicable opportunity to have the "Holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong" endorsement placed in their

CONFIDENTIAL

.>

"MKK

040/28

RECEIVED IN REGIST?

22 JUL 1985

DESK OFENV