TNAG-2185-FCO40-3122-Ethnic-minorities-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 154

ROTAEC

PS/Mr Maude

I submit a draft reply

مل

Dr Ian Twinn MP House of Commons London SWLA OAA

J Morris

Thank you for your letter of 19 February enclosing a copy of one from the Welfare League representing Hong Kong Eurasians.

We have taken very careful note of all the representations from the non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, a category embracing the Hong Kong Eurasian community, for the purposes of our scheme. In reaching the decision which was announced to the House on 20 December, we took fully into account the various arguments put to us on this issue. We concluded that we could not treat this group as a special category within the scheme: they will be eligible to apply for British citizenship under the scheme and each application will be treated on its merits.

As you know, in recognition of the particular concern of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, the Government have already taken steps to reassure them about their position after 1997. We have made provision for the children and grandchildren of former BDTCs born after 1997 to acquire British Overseas Citizenship if they would otherwise be stateless. And we have also given a specific assurance in Parliament that i, against all expectations, these people came under pressure to leave Hong Kong in the future, and had nowhere to go, we would expect the Government of the day to consider their case for admission here with considerable and particular sympathy. We stand by that undertaking.