TNAG-1849-FCO40-2624-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 41

24 MAY '99 23:22

FROM COI TECH RADIO

TRANSCRIPT J: SELECT COMMITIRE RR HONG KONG

LA

24 MAY 1989

-4-

PAGE.CO5/856

MR. TIN RENTON;

Yes.

We believe that we are fully in line with the

necessary rights under the relevant UN convention and that

in terms of potential statelessness, which is what that

convention most especially deals with, that that is dealt

with by the BNO passport, the BNO status being available

to those who post-1997 have not taken out British overseas

citizenship the BO status available to those who have

―

not taken out BRO passports and who, if they were Don-

ethnic Chinese, might find themselves then in the position

of statelessness.

That is why the BCC is available to such people and

it will be taken up not only by them but by two

generations on after them and we are of the opinion that

that does fully deal with the requirements laid on this

country under the Human Rights Convention.

KR. IVAN LAWRENCE:

Whilst not being stateless they are, in all

practical terms,

homeless

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that is to say they cannot

come and settle here or anywhere.

IR. TIM REFTON:

But that is no reason why they should not stay in

Hong Kong.