くくくく
امة
UNCLASSIFIED
TMMEDIATE
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The Order also makes provisions for reducing statelessness in that any Hong Kong BDTC who does not acquire BN(0) status will automatically become a British Overseas Citizen
Also (BOC) on 1 July 1997 if he would otherwise be stateless. any children born on or after 1 July 1997 to former HK BDTCs will
And become BOCs at birth if they would otherwise be stateless. any grandchildren born on or after 1 July 1997 will be entitled
are stateless at birth. to acquire BOC by registration if they would otherwise be
would only have been stetetes-$ (In practice statelessness y a possibility in the case of the ethnic minority BDTCs (ie non-Chinese) in Hong Kong. Ethnic Chinese are, under Chinese nationality law, Chinese
nationals.)
ADDITIONAL POINTS
4.
The Order was first debated in Parliament in January, allowing ample time for the people of Hong Kong to consider the Order and make their views known. The Legislative Council in Hong Kong, with much support in Hong Kong, made three specific proposals to HMG concerning the Order, which attracted a
measure
of Parliamentary support during the debates on the draft Order.
These were that:
a)
there should be an endorsement in British passports issued to BN (0)s to the effect that the holder does not require a visa or entry certificate to visit the UK;
b)
ex-world war II servicemen in Hong Kong should be granted
British Citizenship; and
c)
the approximately 11,500 BDTCs in Hong Kong who are not ethnically Chinese should be granted British Citizenship rather than British Overseas citizenship if r 1 July 1997 they would otherwise be stateless. (The largest group are of Indian origin: Others are of Pakistani, Portuguese and Eurasian origin.)
In response to these requests, the Home Secretary made the following announcement on 23 April:
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"The Government have carefully considered the requests
Dd8422552 50m 10-85 37 18.
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made
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