TNAG-1571-FCO40-2137-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 96

CONFIDENTIAL

Nationality and Treaty Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Clive House Petty France London SW1H 9HD

D F G Farr Esq British Embassy LUXEMBOURG

HUK 340/ RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

1 8 DEC 1986

Telephone 01-213

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

PA

Action Taken

Dear fart,

Men

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Your reference

Our reference

GNP 343/32

Date

10 December 1986

BRITISH NATIONALS (OVERSEAS):

THIRD COUNTRIES

FACILITATING TRAVEL TO

1. Thank you for your letter of 20 November reporting the reaction of the Luxembourg MFA to your explanation of BN (0) status and passports.

2.

The proposed note concerning the Benelux Visa Abolition Agreement has fallen victim to Home Office and MVD preoccupations with the new visa regimes. The Head of MVD wrote to Mme Russell on 11 November explaining the delay, adding that it was hoped to be able to send out the note in December. That is still the position.

3. The Luxembourgers raised a number of points which you set out in your paragraph 2.

(a)

(b)

The agreement with the Chinese preserves right of abode in Hong Kong SAR for all BN (0) s with the exception of the very small number of non-ethnic Chinese (expected to number less than 100) who have not taken Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence and who have right of abode elsewhere. The agreement also guarantees the rights and freedoms currently enjoyed in Hong Kong. We do not therefore anticipate that any BN (0) would wish to apply for political asylum or refugee status or that a BN (0) would be barred from returning to Hong Kong SAR. If pressed, you could, however, say that an application for admission to the UK from any British national who, in spite of all our expectations, came under pressure to leave Hong Kong, would be looked at particularly sympathetically. A statement to this effect was made by Lord Glenarthur in the House of Lords on 16 May 1986.

The same applies to Luxembourg concerns that the Chinese may not allow a BN (0) to return to Hong Kong SAR. It would clearly undermine confidence in the Hong Kong agreement to speculate that such a situation could arise. The right of abode endorsement in BN (0) passports will be an indication

CONFIDENTIAL

/of

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