TNAG-1564-FCO40-2129-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 22

GPS 450

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1233

OF 24103OZ APPIL 86

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

RESTRICTED

NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL : PRESS COVERAGE

SUMMARY

600

Hall 36011

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

2 5 APR 1986

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Take:

BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS TODAY GAVE PROMINENT AND DETAILED COVERAGE TO THE HOME SECRETARY'S REPLY TO THE THREE REQUESTS FROM LEGCO. THE HOME SECRETARY'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DECISIONS WAS ALSO THE HEADLINES ADOPTED BY RADIO AND TV LATE LAST NIGHT.

2. COVERGAE IS LARGELY FACTUAL. NO EDITORIAL COMMENTS HAVE YET APPEARED. PREDICTABLY REACTIONS OF THE ENGLISH AND THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS DIFFERED. THE FORMER WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE REJECTIONOF LEGCO'S REQUEST IN RESPECT OF THE MINORITIES THE LATTER FOCUSSED MORE ON THE ENDORE SEMENT AND THE CONCESS LON IN RESPECT OF FORMER SERVICEMEN.

DETAIL

A. CHINESE-LANGUAGE PRESS

3. ALL CHINESE-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS (TA KUNG PO AND WEN WEI PO INCLUDED) ADOPTED AS THEIR HEADLINES HMG'S AGREEMENT TO LEGCO'S REQUEST FOR AN ENDORSEMENT IN EN(0) PASSPORTS INDICATING THAT THE HOLDER DOES NOT REQUIRE A VISA TO ENTER THE UK: AND THE GRANT OF BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO FORMER SERVICEMEN. ALL OF THEM REPORTED HMG'S REJECTION OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES' REQUEST FOR BRITISH CITIZENSHIP (INCLUDING HMG'S ARGUMENTS FOR REJECTING THEIR REQUEST IN FAIRLY GREAT DETAIL IN MANY CASES). ONLY ONE OF THEM (SING TAO JIH PAO) REPORTED DISSATISFACTION FROM THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS. THERE WERE SOME SLIGHT UNACCURACIES IN THAT ONE NEWSPAPER (HONG KONG COMMERCIAL DAILY) REPORTED THAT ONLY ONE REQUEST FROM LEGCO HAD BEEN ACCEPTED WHILE ANOTHER (MING PAO) REPORTED THAT ONLY SIXTY EX-SERVICEMEN WOULD BE ALLOWED TO SETTLE IN THE UK.

4. OTHER THEMES THAT DOMINATED THE COVERAGE BY THE CHINESE-LANGUAGE PRESS ARE AS FOLLOWS

A) CHIEF SECRETARY'S REACTION WELCOMING HMG'S ACCEPTANCE OF TWO OF LEGCO'S REQUESTS, AND DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE HOME SECRETARY'S POSITIVE ASSURANCES OF SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION OF THE MINORITIES' CASE SHOULD THEY COME UNDER ANY PRESSURE TO LEAVE HONG KONG AFTER 1997:

RESTRICTED

(8)

F