TNAG-1557-FCO40-2121-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 155

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OCMIAN 5555

CONFIDENTIAL

OO PEKIN

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

061145Z JAN

GRS 1609

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

HKU 04014.***

нки

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

- 8 JAN 1986

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 33

INDEX

OF 061145Z JANUARY 86

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

REGISTRY Action Taken

5555

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MY SECOND IPT: HONG KONG AGREEMENT:

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL:

FOLLOWING IS NEXT PART OF TEXT OF OPENING SPEECH FOR HOUSE OF

COMMONS DEBATE.

BEGINS.

16.

OUR PRESENT PROPOSALS ARE SET OUT IN ARTICLE 6. IT

PROVIDES THAT ANY FORMER HONG KONG BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

CITIZEN WHO FOR ANY REASON HAS NOT ACQUIRED BN(0) STATUS, AND

WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS IN 1997, WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME A

BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN ON 1 JULY 1997. ANY OF THEIR CHILDREN

BORN AFTER JUNE 1997 IF THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS WILL

ALSO ACQUIRE BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP AT BIRTH (SEMI COLON)

AND ANY OF THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, IF BORN STATELESS, WILL BE

ENTITLED TO BE REGISTERED AS BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENS. THESE

PROVISIONS APPLY TO ALL FORMER BDTC'S WHATEVER THEIR ETHNIC ORIGIN

BUT I KNOW

THAT THEY ARE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THE NON-ETHNIC CHINESE

COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG, WHO DO NOT EXPECT AUTOMATICALLY TO BECOME CHINESE CITIZENS IN 1997. THEY WILL BE ENTITLED TO BN(0) STATUS

BUT IF FOR ANY REASON THEY DO NOT BECOME BN(0)S, THEY WILL

NEVERTHELESS HAVE A RECOGNIZED NATIONALITY STATUS, AND SO WILL

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