TNAG-1567-FCO40-2132-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 156

GRS 450

RESTRICTED

Fil HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1233

OF 24103OZ APPIL 86

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

RESTUSTE

NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL : PRESS COVERAGE

SUMMARY

BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS TODAY GAVE PROMINENT

AND DETAILED COVERAGE TO THE HOME SECRETARY'S REPLY TO THE THREE

REQUESTS FROM LECCO. 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 ENDORESEMENT AND THE CONCESSION

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 IN(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 WEPE 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:

سا