TNAG-1570-FCO40-2136-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 56

GRS 300

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

ьки зага RECEIVED REGISTRY

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELNO 3957

OF 250528Z NOVEMBER 86

INFO ROUTINE STOCKHOLM

IN

12 DEC 1986

FIGER

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

mek

13/12

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

DIST?

NATIONALITY: INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF BN (0) PASSPORTS.

AT OUR REQUEST, CONSUL-GENERAL OF SWEDEN (JACOBSON) CALLED ON SECRETARY FOR SECURITY ON 13 NOVEMBER TO RESPOND TO ANY POINTS HE MIGHT HAVE ON THE NOTE WE HAD SENT HIM ON THE BN (0) STATUS AND THE PASSPORT THAT GOES WITH IT.

2. JACOBSON WONDERED HOW BN (0) PASSPORTS WOULD BE RE-ISSUED OR REPLACED AFTER 1997. HE WAS TOLD THAT THE BRITISH CONSULATE IN HONG KONG AND ELSEWHERE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE. THE POINT WAS ALSO MADE THAT CHINA HAD AGREED TO SUCH ARRANGEMENTS.

3. IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO PEOPLE ELIGIBLE FOR BN (0) STATUS BUT DID NOT APPLY FOR THE BN (0) PASSPORT BEFORE 1997 S FOR S EXPLAINED THAT THEY WOULD BE ENTITLED TO SAR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. S FOR S STRESSED THAT ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BECOME STATELESS WOULD BE ISSUED, UPON APPLICATION, WITH BO (C) PASSPORTS.

4. JACOBSON EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE MODD OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD CALMED DOWN CONSIDERABLY.

5. ON THE REACTIONS OF OTHER COUNTIRES TO THE CONCEPT OF BN (0) PASSPORTS S FOR S SAID THAT WHILE NO FORMAL STATMENT OF ACCEPTANCE HAD YET BEEN ISSUED BY ANY OF THE 14 COUNTIRES HE HAD SPOKEN TO, THE RESPONSES HE RECEIVED HAD BEEN POSITIVE.

6. ON VISA ABOLITION AGREEMENT JACOBSON SAID THAT NORDIC COUNTRIES HAD TO WORK IN UNISON. THEY WERE NOT (NOT) AT THE MOMENT CONSIDERING EXEMPTING BDTC PASSPORT HOLDERS FROM HAVING VISAS. JACOBSON DID NOT FORESEE ANY PROBLEM IN BN (0) PASSPORTS BEING ACCEPTED BY HIS GOVERNMENT.

YOUDE

HMLNAN 5223

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/NTD

RESEARCH D (MR WALKER)

DEP HD/PUSD

PS

PS/MR RENTON

PS/PUS

MR GILLMORE MR WILSON

MR BARRINGTON

COPIES TO:

MR OSBORNE, NEWS DEPT MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS MR PLANT,

LEGAL ADVISERS

MR D MCDOUGALL, MVD

MR LYON, HOME OFFICE

MR EMERY, BL DIV, HOME OFFICE, CROYDON

MF NICHOLSON, PASSPORT DEPT, HOME OFFICE

ROOM 236, CLIVE HOUSE.

MR MCDONOUGH, B2 DIV, HOME OFFICE

CONFIDENTIAL