TNAG-1561-FCO40-2125-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 8

Disp

Aiminded

keface

суже

FROM:

Draft submissin

pour Beds

A M LAYDEN, HKD

388

Dr Wilson

PS/Mr Renton

Private Secretary

DATE:

21 March 1986

CC:

Sir W Harding

Mr Fifoot

HKM 040/4

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

2 4 MAR 1986

HONG KONG: NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL'

PROBLEM

INDEX

-ICER

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

A

B C

D

1.

•

Following my submission of 19 March, we have received the

Home Secretary's letter of that date and have consulted the

Governor. In his response, Sir E Youde indicates that, because

of the delay in laying the Revised Order before Parliament, and

growing speculation about the reasons for

for this "we have reached

a point where only meeting all three LegCo requests will deal

with the dissatisfaction in Hong Kong on these issues" He

on to ex plain that to end up with no endorsement would

a serious crisis; to produce an endorsement including

the offending preamble would cause widespread bitterings and

suspicion; and to refuse British citizenship to non- ethnic

minorities who would otherwise become stateless would cause

strong dissatisfaction and remain "like a grumbling appendix"

for the future.

goes

produce

RECOMMENDATION

2.

I recommend

that Ministers

should make a further attempt

to convince Home Office Ministers that the difficulties they

raised about the passport endorsement, and

have

British citizenship to

the non-ethnic Chinese

about granting

minority, a re