TNAG-1568-FCO40-2134-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 58

OCMIAN 5826

CONFIDENTIAL

PP HOKON

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

301530Z SEP

GRS 209

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELNO 2099

OF 301530Z SEPTEMBER 86

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

PROVE BAC/

RECEN

- 2 OCT 1986

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65826

1

OUR TELNO 2025: INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF BN(0) PASSPORTS

1.

WE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING WHAT PUBLICITY IF ANY SHOULD BE

GIVEN TO THE START OF THE CAMPAIGN. IT WOULD PROBABLY BE WISE TO

DEFER ANY DETAILED PUBLIC STATEMENT UNTIL WE HAVE AS MANY

FAVOURABLE COMMENTS FROM COUNTRIES AS POSSIBLE. BUT IT MAY BE

USEFUL TO ANNOUNCE IN HONG KONG THAT THE EXERCISE IS UNDERWAY.

WE DO NOT PROPOSE TO SAY ANYTHING HERE BUT SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS,

SUGGEST THAT A SHORT, LOW KEY ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE MADE IN HONG

KONG ALONG THE FOLLOWING LINES:

HOWE

QUOTE DURING THE DEBATES IN PARLIAMENT ON THE HONG KONG

NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT

UNDERTOOK TO EXPLAIN THE NEW BN(0) STATUS AND ITS

ENDORSEMENT IN PASSPORTS TO THIRD COUNTRIES ONCE THE

ORDER WAS IN PLACE AND BEFORE PASSPORTS SHOWING THE NEW

STATUS WERE INTRODUCED IN JULY 1987. TO THIS END THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE NOW BEGUN THEIR APPROACHES TO ALL

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENTS. UNQUOTE.

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/NTD

RESEARCH D (MR WALKER)

DEP HD/PUSD

PS

PS/MR RENTON

PS/PUS

SIR W HARDING MR WILSON MR BARRINGTON

COPIES TO:

MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS

LEGAL ADVISERS

MR PLANT,

MR D MCDOUGALL, MVD

MR HYDE, HOME OFFICE

MR EMERY, B4 DIV, HOME OFFICE, CROYDON MR NICHOLSON, PASSPORT DEPT, HOME OFFICE

ROOM 236, CLIVE HOUSE.

MR MCDONOUGH, B2 DIV, HOME OFFICE

CONFIDENTIAL