GRS 400
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
Confidential
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 3535
OF 27105OZ OCTOBER 86
INFO ROUTINE SINGAPORE
iJkik BACIL
RECEIVER
REGISTRY
2 8 CCT 1986
JISTRY
..ion Taken
Smek 5/122
TOP CORY Q DIST 7
NATIONALITY: INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF - BA(0)PASSPORTS.
AT OUR REQUEST, COMMISSIONER OF SINGAPORE (SIM) CALLED ON SECRETARY FOR SECUIRTY ON 24 OCTOBER FOR US TO RESPOND TO ANY POINTS HE MIGHT HAVE ON THE NOTE WE HAD SENT HIM ON THE BN (0) PASSPORT.
2. SIM WAS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SINGAPORE'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE BM(0) PASSPORT. HE POINTED OUT THAT SEING A SMALL COUNTRY SIGAPORE'S FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE WAS TO ENSURE THAT HOLDERS OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS SHOULD HAVE A PLACE TO RETURN TO. WE STRESSED THE RETURNABILITY GUARANTEED BY THE ENDORSEMENT ON BN (0). PASSPORTS.
3. SIM SOUGHT CLARIFICATION ON BOC STATUS AND ON HOW SOME BDTCS COULD FIND THEMSELVES IN THIS STATE AFTER 1997. WE EXPLAINED THAT THE BOC STATUS WAS DEVISED FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS AND THAT BOC PASSPORTS ARE ALREADY IN USE AT PRESENT.
4. SIM ASKED WHETHER BRITAIN WOULD RESORT TO IMPOSTING VISAS ON BN(0) PASSPORT HOLDERS IF QUOTE IN THE WORST POSSIBLE SCENARIO UNQUOTE THERE WAS AN INFLUX TO BRITIAN AFTER 1997. S FOR S REPLIED THAT HE DID NOT SEE ANY CAUSE FOR A MASS EXODUS BUT IN SUCH
. EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES IT MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO IMPOSE VISA
REQUIREMENTS.
5. ON WHETHER HOLDERS OF BN (0) PASSPORTS COULD ALSO BE IN POSSESSION OF OTHER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS S FOR S CLARIFIED THAT THEY COULD STILL BE ENTITLED TO A SAR PASSPORT AFTER 1997 BUT IT WOULD BE UP TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO HOLD A THIRD PASSPORT. SIM SAID THAT APPLICANTS FOR SINGAPORE PASSPORTS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SUPRENDER OTHER PASSPORTS AND THAT HOLDERS OF SUCH PASSPORTS WOULD BE QUESTIONED IF THE PASSPORTS HAD
NOT BEEN USED FOR A CONSECUTIVE PERIOD ON 10 YEARS.
Confidential
16.
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