TNAG-2178-FCO40-3115-Hong-Kong-nationality-international-support-1990 — Page 75

INNAT 13

SUP

6. The Governments of India and Pakistan have not until now been

involved in the worldwide lobbying exercise that we have undertaken

to restore confidence in Hong Kong. Both Governments could,

however, help if they could emphasise on appropriate occasions the importance of Hong Kong as a major international and regional

economic centre. If they could also agree to offer passports or entry certificates to members of the Indian/Pakistani community who

do not already hold foreign passports (eg, Indian, Pakistani,

Canadian, US etc), this would have three beneficial effects: it

would

i)

ii)

and

aid confidence;

strengthen our hand in persuading other countries to help;

iii) relieve HMG of the pressure of lobbying from this group.

In practice, they will not be satisfied with this outcome since what they clearly want is UK citizenship. But they have already conceded that only those without other passports have any claim for special consideration. If they are granted passports by India or Pakistan then that claim (which we in any case do not accept) will

evaporate.

DEMOCRACY

7. A Hong Kong Government White Paper of 1988 announced that, as

part of the gradual process of developing Hong Kong's representative government, 10 directly elected seats would be introduced into the legislature in 1991. The February 1989 draft of the Basic Law

allows for 15 directly elected seats in 1997. In line with the principle of convergence of the pre- and post-1997 political structures, it was intended to increase the directly elected seats

to 15 in 1995.

8. Following the Tiananmen Square incident, Hong Kong opinion wants

a faster pace of democratisation. The OMELCO Consensus which seems to be broadly representative, is pressing for 20 seats in 1991 and

MTHAPQ (5)

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