TNAG-2638-FCO40-3830-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1992 — Page 17

103

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

18 November 1992

香港立法局

·九九二年十一月十八日

103

It is still not too late to rectify what has gone wrong in this sorry episode. But failure to do so can only result in the moral bankruptcy of the British Government. It will also lead to confirmation of the belief that the British Government is indeed racist in its immigration policy. I, therefore, urge the British Government to take immediate steps to alleviate the plight of these people by granting them full British citizenship.

Mr Deputy President, I would have been happy to support Mr ARCULLI's amendment if it had been in addition to, rather than in substitution for, Mr McGREGOR's motion. But I cannot support it as it reduces the possible options to one, that of the right of admission to the United Kingdom after 1997. The right of admission without full British nationality does not make the ethnic minorities any less stateless. Therefore, I should like to see the Hong Kong Government pressing the United Kingdom Government for the grant of full British passports to the ethnic minorities. Mr McGREGOR's motion allows this to be done.

With these remarks, Mr Deputy President, I oppose Mr ARCULLI's amendment and I support Mr McGREGOR's motion.

劉千石議員致辭:

副主席先生,現時擺在我們面前的是一個赤裸裸的人權問題;我們實在不能想像,在香港 的社會中為什麼會有些人沒有了國籍?

對於98%的香港人來說,因為他們是華裔居民,可能他們的擔心是有異;但是,少數 的非華裔人士卻不同,而在我認識的人當中簡霞霖便是其中一份子。大家聽到這個名字可 能很陌生,但我說給你聽,她就是在國商事件中表現出色的「肥媽」!我相信無人不知。

「肥媽」知道我今日有一個動議辯論,她千叮萬囑叫我為她說出她的經歷,她的父親於 一九一一年便來到香港,在海軍船塢工作;而事實上,由十九世紀中期開始,殖民地統治 者長久以來招聘了不少其他英屬殖民地的亞裔人士來港工作。「肥媽」的父親來港經歷了 三年零八個月的淪陷,並在戰爭期間結了婚,後來生下兩名男孩及一名女孩,那女孩就是 「肥媽」。「肥媽」表示,她的兩位兄弟已先後於七十年代到英國,並已獲取英國居留 權;而她,卻由於一直相信英國政府不會「拋棄」這些非華裔人士,不會拋棄一些是他們 招聘來香港的,為香港貢獻了一生的非華籍的人士,因而没有想過及早離開香港。可是, 這些「英國屬土公民」卻居然不能入籍英國,因此,到了九七年,他們及他的子女將會變 成無國籍者。