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CONFIDENTIAL
6094
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RIGHT OF ABODE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
NATIONALITY WITHOUT RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE PARENT COUNTRY
IS NOT, AS HAS BEEN SUGGESTED IN SOME QUARTERS, A FORM OF
STATELESSNESS. BDTCS DO NOT NOW HAVE THE RIGHT OF ABODE
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE COUNCIL'S PROPOSALS WOULD
UNDERMINE THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT
1981, WHICH WAS TO CONFER ON ALL FORMER CITIZENS OF THE
UNITED KINGDOM AND COLONIES A STATUS WHICH WOULD
ACCURATELY REFLECT THEIR LINKS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM OR
WITH A DEPENDENT TERRITORY OR FORMER DEPENDENCY AS THE
CASE MAY BE.
BDTCS OF INDIAN ORIGIN IN HONG KONG HAVE MADE IT PLAIN
THAT THEY WISH TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN HONG KONG.
GRANTING THEM BRITISH CITIZENSHIP, AND THUS RIGHT OF
ABODE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, WILL NOT HELP TO DO THIS.
THEIR FUTURE IS SAFEGUARDED BY THE AGREEMENT.
THERE IS NO SUBSTANCE IN THE SUGGESTION (MADE BY THE
COUNCIL OF HONG KONG INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS) THAT THE
AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE, OR THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE
6, ARE RACIALLY BASED. THE GOVERNMENT RECOGNISE AN
OBLIGATION TO ENSURE THAT NO-ONE IS LEFT STATELESS IN
1997. THE PROVISIONS MADE WILL APPLY TO ANY FORMER HONG
KONG BDTCS, WHATEVER THEIR ETHNIC ORIGIN, WHO DO NOT
BECOME BN(0)S AND WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS, AND
THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. TO GRANT BRITISH
CITIZENSHIP TO THE NON-ETHNIC CHINESE BDTCS COULD LEAD TO
CLAIMS FOR SIMILAR TREATMENT FROM CHINESE HONG KONG
BDTCS.
THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE 6 WILL ENABLE NON-ETHNIC
CHINESE HONG KONG BDTCS AND THEIR DESCENDENTS TO RETAIN A
FORM OF BRITISH NATIONALITY FOR 3 GENERATIONS, UNTIL
ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT CENTURY. BY THEN THE LINK
WITH BRITAIN WILL BE MORE THAN TENUOUS. THE GOVERNMENT
BELIEVE THAT THE RIGHT COURSE FOR THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE
LIVING IN WHAT WILL BY THEN HAVE BEEN PART OF CHINA FOR
OVER 50 YEARS WILL BE TO SEEK CHINESE NATIONALITY.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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