TNAG-1851-FCO40-2626-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 69

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ACCEPT THE RISK OF ALL 3.2 MILLION HONG KONG PEOPLE GOING TO SETTLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. INDEED, THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE WENT FURTHER BY SUGGESTING THAT THE NUMBER WOULD BE CONSIDERABLY IN EXCESS OF THE 3.2 MILLION FREQUENTLY MENTIONED.

OF COURSE A DECISION OF THIS NATURE IS NOT AN EASY ONE FOR ANY POLITICIAN TO TAKE. IT IS A MATTER OF JUDGEMENT AND OF BALANCING THE OBLIGATION OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TOWARDS THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AGAINST THE RISK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO CARRY THROUGH PARLIAMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES IN LEGISLATION. I BELIEVE IT IS ACCEPTED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THAT THE OBLIGATION IS STRONG, BUT THE CONTENTION IS THAT THE RISK IS OVERWHELMINGLY HIGH BECAUSE IT IS ASSUMED TO BE A FACT THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES OVER 3 MILLION HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS TO SETTLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. WE HAVE ARGUED FORCEFULLY THAT WE CANNOT ENVISAGE A SITUATION WHERE ANYTHING LIKE THAT NUMBER WOULD EVER WISH TO GO TO THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN SUCH A MASSIVE NUMBER OF PEOPLE MOVING SEVEN THOUSAND MILES TO SET UP HOME ELSEWHERE MAKE IT A TOTALLY UNREAL PROPOSITION. THERE IS ALSO THE ASSESSMENT, WIDELY ACCEPTED IN HONG KONG AND SUPPORTED BY RECENT OPINION POLLS, THAT ONLY ABOUT 6 PER CENT OF HONG KONG PEOPLE WHO WERE GIVEN THE RIGHT OF ABODE WOULD MOVE TO THE UNITED KINGDOM. SO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVER LIKELY TO SEEK TO SETTLE IN THE UK MUST NOT ONLY BE LESS THAN

3.2 MILLION IT MUST BE A SMALL FRACTION OF THAT NUMBER.

IT MUST SURELY BE RELEVANT TO SEE HOW OTHER SOVEREIGN POWERS IN SIMILAR POSITIONS TO THE UK HAVE REGARDED THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO THEIR DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS. PORTUGAL, A SMALL COUNTRY WITH A POPULATION OF SOME 10 MILLION HAS, WE ARE TOLD, PROVIDED FOR CITIZENSHIP NOT ONLY FOR 100,000 OF ITS CITIZENS IN MACAU BUT ALSO FOR OVER 3 MILLION OF ITS CITIZENS IN ITS FORMER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. FRANCE HAS DONE THE SAME WITH ITS OVERSEAS TERRITORIES. CLEARLY THESE TWO NATIONS TOOK A VIEW THAT THEIR OBLIGATIONS OUTWEIGHED THE RISK. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS ACCEPTED ITS OBLIGATIONS TO CITIZENS ELSEWHERE. NOT ONLY IN THE FALKLANDS AND GIBRALTAR WHERE THE NUMBERS ARE SMALL BUT ALSO IN THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA WHERE THERE ARE ESTIMATED TO BE OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE WITH THE RIGHT TO SETTLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO ARGUE I BELIEVE THAT SOUTH AFRICA IS POTENTIALLY LESS UNSTABLE THAN HONG KONG.

SIR, THERE IS ONE FURTHER ILLOGICALITY IN THE CASE WHICH IS BEING MADE AGAINST THE GRANTING OF THE RIGHT OF ABODE. IT IS THAT IN A SITUATION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE MORE LIKELY THAT VERY LARGE NUMBERS

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