TNAG-1564-FCO40-2129-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 62

APR.23 '86 15:14 GMT HO 2 LUNAR HOUSE

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sense will be included, slight drafting

amendments

Shaver by calling with quotien their

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untwombat sliten, both in they

own eyes and in those 1 tu

authenties with which they have to had it would

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uryustifiably misty bust

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Lut but the commitment.

Frid parties to the fun. But alaston

?

In such cases, people who did not become citizens of the

newly independent country (and there were many who did

not) retained their British nationality. Those who did

not have close connections with the United Kingdom itself

will generally have automatically become British Overseas

citizens on 1 January 1983. To grant British citizenship,

rather than British Overseas citizenship, to those Hong

Kong BDTCs who will not automatically acquire Chinese

nationality and who have no other form of nationality would

not therefore be consistent with this general principle,

Che many Cand could lead other British Overseas citizens in many

parts of the world to believe they had been unfairly treated, Pwe

We have also been mindful that while people's present wish

is to continue to live and work in Hong Kong, they might

wish to have a form of citizenship which gave them an

unquestioned right of abode elsewhere. We do not believe

it would be desirable nor is it necessary to make such

arrangements at the present time. It would raise uncertainty about the size of this country's future commitments,) and

it would not in our judgement be a sensible basis on which

Lover witradition of the Trust Declaration) to continue the positive and constructive work which needs

to be carried out up to 1997 and beyond. But we have made

it plain, and I wish to make it clear again, that if

circumstances were to change and any British national came

under pressure to leave Hong Kong in the future, we would

expect the Government of the day to consider sympathetically

whether to admit them to the United Kingdom on a case by

case basis. We believe this is the right way to proceed.

In surr

Imams

We believe therefore that the agreement we have reached

with the Chinese Government and which is reflected in the

Nationality Order provides all Hong Kong British Dependent

Territories citizena, whatever their ethnic origin, with

an assured citizenship status and a continued legal right

to live in Hong Kong. Wė “tave-every confidenes that the

provie

agrnement-

blemented in-full.

I appreciate that this decision will I hope nevertheless the Council will

me as a disappointment.

aider carefully consida,

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