TNAG-1849-FCO40-2624-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 72

24 MAY

'89 23:42

FROM COI TECH RADIO

TRANSCRIPT X SELECT COMMITTEE ON HONG KONG

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3

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24 MAY 1989

PAGE.036 056

MR RENTON;

This, I have to say to you, echoes the argument that

was made to me 2 or 3 years ago, at the time of the

introduction of the BIO passport when the particular

arguments made to me were that the ethnic minority, those

who were not Chinese in Hong Kong, people acquire some

special status.

The argument was then much pursued. We put over the

points that I have made to you that first they have, under

the Joint Declaration, a clear right of abode in Hong

Kong, they have also the BOC status and there is of course

also, which we touched on earlier, the point that lady

on other occasions Young and Lord Glenarthur have made

that if against all expectation any solely British

national with no claim on Chinese nationality came under

severe pressure to leave Hong Kong, we would, and I quote

the words carefully, expect the government of the day to

consider their case sympathetically.

But your particular point, because it deals with

evidence given to you in Hong Kong on matters dealing

specifically with Hong Kong, is not known to us in the

Home Office before. You may want to pursue it directly

with the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary.