CONFIDENTIAL
024136
MDLIAN
2. THE WEN WEI PO ALSO CARRIES A STATEMENT, ALLEGEDLY MADE BY LI HOU SEVERAL DAYS AGO, THAT THE SCHEME MIGHT NECESSITATE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON A PERSON'S ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. THE FUTURE CE, SECRETARIES, DEPUTY SECRETARIES, DIRECTORS AND DEPUTY DIRECTORS OF BUREAUS AND THE MAJORITY OF THE LEGCO MEMBERS SHOULD NOT ONLY BE PERMANENT RESIDENTS WHO ARE CHINESE NATIONALS, BUT SHOULD ALSO HAVE NO (NO) RIGHT OF ABODE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
3. HOWEVER, IN APPARENT CONTRADICTION TO THE ABOVE, TODAY'S MING PAO ALSO REPORTS THAT THE GROUP OF 89, WHO RETURNED FROM PEKING YESTERDAY, WERE TOLD BY CHINESE OFFICIALS THAT ALTHOUGH THE NATIONALITY SCHEME COULD HELP AMELIORATE THE BRAIN DRAIN PROBLEM, THOSE WHO OBTAINED THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK WOULD LOSE THEIR CHINESE NATIONALITY BECAUSE THE CNL DID NOT RECOGNISE DUAL NATIONALITY. (CHINA COULD NOT CHANGE ITS NATIONALITY LAWS BECAUSE OF SENSITIVITIES AMONG THOSE SE ASIAN COUNTRIES WITH SIGNIFICANT CHINESE POPULATIONS.)
4. TA KUNG PAO'S TONG YUK-HON ALSO WRITES THAT, AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE, THE RIGHT TO POLITICAL ELECTION IN THE SAR SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO THOSE PERMANENT RESIDENTS WHO ARE CHINESE NATIONALS. THE EXTENSION OF SUCH A RIGHT TO FOREIGN NATIONALS WHO ARE PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF THE SAR WOULD BE A POLICY MATTER FOR THE SAR TO DECIDE: "FOREIGN NATIONALS WOULD NOT ENJOY SUCH A RIGHT AS A
MATTER OF COURSE. CHINESE NATIONALITY CAN ONLY BE DETERMINED WITH REFERENCE TO THE CNL. IF THE TERM OF THOSE ELECTED LEGCO MEMBERS ARE TO TRANSCEND 1997, THEN THEIR MEMBERSHIP SHOULD BE ENDORSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW BY AN ORGAN AUTHORISED BY THE NPC.
5. THE ARTICLES FOLLOW BY FAX. OUR COMMENTS ON THEM WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY.
WILSON
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CONFIDENTIAL
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