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(a) special provision has been made under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Order 1986 for ethnic minorities who might otherwise be stateless to be granted British Overseas Citizenship for 2 generations beyond 1997;
(b) Lord Glenarthur stated in the House of Lords on 16 May 1986 that it should be considered an obligation upon any future government to treat with very considerable and particular sympathy the case for admission to the United Kingdom of any individual British national who, against all our expectations, came under pressure to leave Hong Kong.
5.
The Secretary of State, in replying to Mr Harilela, also reassured him that the Government are encouraging the Hong Kong Government to introduce as soon as possible the necessary legislation to amend the Hong Kong Immigration Ordinance of 1987 to give the right of abode to the ethnic minorities. At present, only ethnic Chinese BDTC's/BN (0) s hold ID cards proving that Hong Kong is their permanent place of residence. The Joint
Declaration makes specific provision for non-Chinese people to have right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and this is fully reflected in Article 24(4) of the draft Basic Law. Once the Ordinance is amended to enable ethnic minorities to take Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence, their right to remain in Hong Kong after 1997 should be guaranteed.
6.
You enclosed with your letter a copy of an article from the Independent of 17 February reporting the Labour Party's pledge to give the right of abode to the Indian community in Hong Kong if they come to power. In fact, Mr Hattersley's letter to the British Federation of Indian Organisations said that a Labour government would give the right of abode in the UK to people of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong if they became stateless. Hong Kong Department do not feel that there is a great deal of difference between that and the present Government's reassurance to the Indians.
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17.
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