CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
Telephone 01-
213 6256
m
734
со
Mr D M Mitchell British Embassy
HKK
040/28
Our reference
Your reference
GVV FRAN/349/1
PARIS
Date
5 September 1985
Der Rech
FRENCH VISA REQUIREMENTS ON HONG KONG BDTC
1.
Nole: fgaken to Dardogul
•
Reminder sent & far:
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poterly
Please refer to the correspondence with the Immigration Department, Hong Kong, about the case of Mr Chow Kwok-Chen and others, which stands with Mr Kuo Ket-Chun's letter to me of 16 July.
2. As you will see from the first enclosure to this letter this case, and others, have been taken up by the Government Secretariat, Hong Kong, with Hong Kong Department. The latter regard the case of Hon Francis Tien, who is an unofficial member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council as being of particular seriousness, and we have no alternative but to find out from the French exactly what visa requirements they place on Hong Kong BDTC.
3. There is certainly confusion on this point since the French Consulate-General in Hong Kong apparently advises travellers that there is no visa requirements for BDTC visitors
However, this (your letter of 5 June to Mr Kuo Ket-chen refers). is contradicted by the enclosed guidance issued be the French Consulate-General here which amounts to a visa requirement on all British passport holders except British Citizens, or their pre-1983 equivalents.
4. We would be grateful if you could quote this contradictory advice to the appropriate authority and ask, informally for clarification. We would not wish this occasion to develop into a debate on the interpretation of the 1947 bilateral Visa Abolition Agreement (VAA) so you should not mention it (my letter of 9 April refers). However if the French raise the issue you should say that this enquiry is without prejudice to our position over the VAA but simply a matter of obtaining elucidation of certain French regulations which are causing no little concern
to the Government of Hong Kong.
far
You
incering Pets
R J Miller
رياسيمنا
Migration and Visa Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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