TNAG-1559-FCO40-2123-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 144

NOTHING TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION CLEARANCE BUT MR WADDINGTON CLAIMED THERE WAS A CONNECTION.

HE HAD ALSO EVADED THE CASE OF THE 400 EX-SERVICEMEN BY CLAIMING

THAT EX-SERVICEMEN WHO HAD SUFFERED DURING THE WAR WERE FAR IHN

EXCESS OF THIS FINGURE. AS REGARDS THE ETHNIC MINORITIES, MR WADDING- TON'S ARGUMENT THAT THE JOHNT DECLARATION HAD GUARANTEED THE

MINORITIES' RIGHT TO LIVE IN HK WAS UNCONVINCING AT ALL. THE RIGHT

OF SETTLEMENT AND NATIONALITY WERE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ISSUES

ALTOGETHER. UMELCO YESTERDAY RENTEREATED THAT ITS REQUESTS WERE

WITHIN THE POWERS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. BRITAIN SHOULD NOT

SHIRK INTS RESPONSIBILITIES. IT SEEMD THAT FCO MINISTER TIMOTHY

RENTON WOULD HAVE TO FACE THE STRONG DEMANDS BY UMELCO MEMBERS

DURING HIS VINS NT TO HK.

A SHORT COMMENTARY MN WEN WEH PO WAS ALSO CRITICAL OF BRITAIN'S

REJECT HON OF THE REQUEST OF AN ENDORSEMENT INDICATING THE RIGHT

OF ENTRY. THE PAPER SAND THE REQUEST WAS PURELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF

TRAVEL CONVENIENCE. THERE WAS NO NEED FOR UNDUE WORRY ON THE PART

OF LONDON.

THE NEW EVENING POST SAIND IT SEEMED THAT UMELCO'S REQUESTS HAD

NOT BEEN ATTACHED WITH IMPORTANCE BY CONSERVATIVE MPS. THE PAPER SAND

THE POSSIBILITY OF THE DRAFT NATIONALITY ORDER BEING AMENDED WAS

NOT GREAT. IT NOTED THAT CHINA REGARDED THE BN (0) PASSPORT AS A

TRAVEL DOCUMENT ONLY AND NOT A DOCUMENT OF NATIONALITY. WHETHER CHINA

WOULD GRANT CHINESE NATIONALITY TO THE 100,000 ETHNIC MINORITIES IN HK WAS ONE THEN, MT WAS A SEPARATE THING ALTOGETHER WHETHER

THESE NON-CHINESE WOULD APPLY FOR CHINESE NATIONALITY. EVEN IF THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD DISCUSSED THE MATTER WITH CHINA, INT OBVIOUSLY HAD NOT CONSIDERED THE WISHES OF THE NON-CHINESE

MINORITIES. HT WAS TRUE THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION HAD GUARANTEED THEIR RIGHT TO LIVE IN HK. BUT THE QUESTION OF THEIR NATIONAL HTY HAD TO BE RESOLVED ULTIMATELY BECAUSE THEY HAD LEFT THEIR HOME COUNTRIES INDIMA AND PAKISTAN - FOR A LONG TIME AND

THEIR NEXT GENERATION COULD HAVE NEVER VISITED THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.

D

THN TIN DAILY NEWS SAND IT WAS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT THE PEOPLE CONCERNED WERE DISAPPOINTED AT THE DEBATE. HOWEVER, PEOPLE COULD STILL FIND COMFORT THAT ALTHOUGH BRITAHN HAD REFUSED TO GRANT THEM THE RIGHT OF SETTLEMENT OR ENTRY, THEY COULD HAVE HK AS A PLACE TO STAY ON AND ENJOY THE FRUNTS OF PROSPERITY OF THE TERRITORY.

ENGLISH PAPERS

THE SCM POST SAND TO HAVE BELIEVED THAT THE CONSERVATIIVE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONCEDE ALL THREE POINTS IMMED MATELY WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH TO HOPE FOR. IT WOULD BE WRONG FOR HK PEOPLE TO RELAPSE INTO A MOOD OF PESSIMISM OR TO RESORT TO DENUCATION ENTHER OF BRITISH OFFICIALS, MPS, OR THE UNOFFICIALS OF LEGCO. THINS VS A

4.

I LONG