TNAG-2185-FCO40-3122-Ethnic-minorities-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 115

of Hong Kong in December 1941, where he said:

"In closing my despatch I wish to pay especial tribute to the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps.... То quote examples seems almost invidious, but I should like to place on record the superb gallantry of No.3 (Eurasian) Company at Wong Nei Chong Gap....

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Thus when Hong Kong reverts to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the section of the population most at risk will

will be the Eurasians on account of our long association with the British Administration and establishment, our very origins, and, not least, because we look different. The experience of the Farmer brothers of North China during the Cultural Revolution haunts us all

and the Farmers spoke no language but Chinese, and could hardly be said to have been associated with any Colonial Authority.

It has always been our experience that while the British in Hong Kong may consider us to be Chinese, the Chinese classify us among the foreign devils! What is even more worrying is that in traditional Chinese thinking

and the Chinese

Communist hierarchy in Beijing is steeped in that

the Eurasian Community here represents a continuing reminder of the blot on Chinese history brought about by the Opium Wars.

With this background, the experience of Shanghai Eurasians who all had to emigrate elsewhere, and the obvious impermanance of Hong Kong as a British Colony in the post World War I I era of decolonisation, coupled with the ease with which members of our Community are able to assimilate into English-speaking western countries without notice, practically all Hong Kong Eurasian families have one or more of their members settled elsewhere. In the light of recent events in China, those who have elected to stay now fear they may be left in the lurch after 1997.

It is our submission that the Eurasian Community of Hong Kong is one community, whether we bear the surname of our European forefathers, ΟΙ

or have adopted a convenient Chinese surname usually a derivative of an original European name

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which is no more than a variation of the custom of concubinage prevalent here at that time. Within our Community we do not distinguish between a Chan and a Smith. Neither did His Majesty King George V when he was graciously pleased to select, or accept, Sir Robert Ho Tung and Mr Ho Fook as the Trustees for our Community on the grant of a site in 1915 for use as the Eurasian Cemetery. From this it will be evident that both the Crown and our Community never considered the surname a relevant factor involving our membership.

We therefore pray that in the special legislation now being prepared all Hong Kong Eurasians who have no other Third Country nationality (ie other than British and Chinese)