CONFIDENTIAL
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Thailand
Embassy in Lisbon see no point in pressing the
Portuguese over guarantees for Hong Kong
people.
Last July Singapore announced a relaxation of
immigration rules to allow permanent residence
status to be extended to up to 25,000 blue collar workers (plus dependants) without their
having to leave Hong Kong. On 9 January, Lee Kuan Yew told the Governor that a group had
been set up in Singapore to consider the possibility of extending the scheme for blue collar workers and introducing separate
arrangements to provide passports for
executives (who might have to spend six months
on secondment in Singapore in order to qualify
for a passport but could then return to Hong
Kong for as long as they wished).
Spain's interests in Hong Kong are very
limited. The question of offering right of
abode in Spain to the relatively small number
of employees of Spanish companies has not yet
been seriously considered by the Spanish
Government. The Secretary of State will raise
this at the Brussels Process Ministerial in
Madrid on 26 February.
The Swedish Government are considering the
possibility of making special arrangements for
key personnel in Swedish companies. But they
will wish to consult other Nordic countries eg Norway, before taking any final decision.
Lord Brabazon raised this issue with the Thai
Foreign Minister in Bangkok on 22 January.
ALAADA
CONFIDENTIAL
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