TNAG-1564-FCO40-2129-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 10

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1255

Han suoll 84011

RECEIVED IN REGIST。 i

2 5APR 1986

DESK OFFICER INDEX

REGIS

PA

Action Takent

OF 25100OZ APRIL 86

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING

MIRT

: NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL : REACTIONS FROM THE INDIANS.

SUMMARY

BOTH THE TV AND RADIO LAST NIGHT AND TODAY'S PRESS PROMINENTLY COVERED THE INDIANS' ASSOCIATIONS' ANGRY REACTION TO THE UK GOVERNMENT'S REJECTION OF THEIR REQUEST. THEIR THREATS OF TAKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE UK GOVERNMENT AND OF LODGING A COMPLAINT TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS WERE WIDELY COVERED. TODAY'S TV AND RADIO AND ONE NEWSPAPER (MING PAO) REPORTED THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S VIEW THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS ENSURING THAT THE MINORITIES WOULD NOT BECOME STATELESS AFTER 1997. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL ADOPTED AS THEIR HEADLINE STORY THE INDIANS ASSOCIATIONS' VIEW THAT SOME INDIANS WOULD TRANSFER THEIR ASSETS FROM HONG KONG.

DETAIL

2. THE CHINESE-LANGUAGE PRESS. THEIR COMMENTS ARE AS REPORTED IN PARA. 2 OF MIPT.

3. BOTH SCMP AND THE STANDARD CARRIED FRONT-PAGE AND INSIDE-PAGE REPORTS AND EDITORIALS ON THE INDIANS' ANGRY REACTION TO THE UK GOVERNMENT'S REJECTION OF THEIR REQUEST. BOTH PAPERS REPORTED IN THE FRONT PAGE THE INDIANS' THREAT TO TAKE THEIR CASE TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, WHICH THE SCMP REPORTED COULD FOCUS ADVERSE WORLD ATTENTION ON THE AGREEMENT. SCMP ALSO REPORTED THAT LEGCO UNOFFICIALS PLEDGED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE. ITS UK CORRESPONDENT REPORTED VARIOUS REACTIONS FROM UK MPS AND PEERS.

4. EDITORIALLY SCMP COMMENTED THAT THE REQUEST WHICH DEMANDED A REAL COMMITMENT FROM LONDON WAS REJECTED'. BUT IT CONCEDED THAT THE MINORITIES' REQUEST WAS INCONSISTENT WITH A BASIC PRINCIPLE OF

THE.

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