TNAG-1602-FCO40-2198-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1987 — Page 154

3.2.6 It is proposed that

the

Basic Law:

previously

inhabitants

enjoyed

shall

by

be

in

the following provision be written in "All kinds of rights and interests the indigenous New Territories respected and provided for laws of the HKSAR". All the rights and interests of the indigenous New Territories inhabitants stipulated by the existing legislation shall unchanged for 50 years.

accordance with the

remain

3.2.7 The rights and interests demanded by the indigenous New

3.3

Territories inhabitants

The demands for rights and interests proposed at the seminar on the rights and interests of the indigenous New Territories inhabitants should be supported and accepted.

The following consensus is reached : the lawful rights and interests of indigenous New Territories inhabitants should be respected. As regards their future rights and interests, they can be amended according to the change of society. the right to amend them will be vested with the SAR

Government.

and

Some members held that the above consensus should be set down in the Basic Law whereas other members held otherwise.

4.

Opinions regarding the report on the seminar on indigenous New Territories inhabitants :

Members hold that the interests and rights of the indigenous New Territories inhabitants mentioned in the report should be respected. However, further demands for other rights and interests to be enjoyed by the indigenous inhabitants in the future are not supported by members who think that such

demands should be left for the future SAR government to decide. As to the rights and interests of the indigenous New Territories inhabitants living overseas as mentioned in the report. some are of the view that the indigenous New Territories inhabitanta who went abroad to make A living and are issued HKSAR permanent identity cards upon their return to settle down in Hong Kong should have the rights to vote and to stand for election, irrespective of the

passports they are holding. On the other hand, some think that indigenous inhabitants who have acquired A foreign nationality should be dealt with differently. However, this issue should be resolved by the Nationality Act or other special groups.

*

If there is

any discrepancy between the Chinese and the English versions, the Chinese version should prevall.

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