TNAG-1566-FCO40-2131-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 154

5.

UMELCO, while welcoming the granting of these other two requests,

have made it plain that they still support this request on behalf of the

non-ethnic Chinese BDTCs.

6.

There is nothing in law to prevent conferring British citizenship

rather than British Overseas citizenship on those who would otherwise be

stateless, and their children and grandchildren. But any such concession

to the non-ethnic Chinese communities would be contrary to the intention of

the BNA 1981; would give rise to a large and uncertain immigration commitment;

and would raise wider questions among the some 2 million BOCs throughout the

world as to the inadequacy of this status.

E12