TNAG-2638-FCO40-3830-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1992 — Page 18

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

18 November 1992

香港立法局

一九九二年十一月十八日

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「肥媽」再三要求我在今次辯論中替她提出申訴,要求英國政府還給這些少數居民應有 的尊嚴,給與他們居留英國的權利。

副主席先生,「肥媽」與其他非華裔人士,同你我一樣對香港的繁榮發展作出過貢獻, 如今,很清楚因為政治變動令他們失去國籍,是不是諷刺?值不值社會大眾支持他們爭取 英國的居留權?一個沒有國籍、没有永久居留地方的人,等於失去了基本的身份認同,如 果連這些東西也沒有,還可談什麼自由、人權?根本連基本尊嚴也没有!

副主席先生,本人謹此陳辭,支持非華裔少數居民的要求,多謝!

MISS EMILY LAU: Mr Deputy President, on several occasions in the past decade Members of this Council urged the British Government to offer full British nationality to the non-Chinese ethnic minorities in this colony. Today our demand should be the same. I hope Members will speak with one voice to highlight the plight of the ethnic minorities whose descendants face the very real prospect of becoming stateless.

I fully share the sentiment of Mr Jimmy McGREGOR's motion but I do not think it goes far enough. Mr Ronald ARCULLI's amendment is also unsatisfactory because it does not give the ethnic minorities the guarantee they seek. Mr ARCULLI asks for an unqualified assurance that the ethnic minorities will be admitted to the United Kingdom after 1997. Even if the British Government were to agree to Mr ARCULLI's request, that would not mean the descendants of the ethnic minorities will not become stateless. The right of entry to the United Kingdom is a far cry from the right of abode or full British citizenship, which is what the ethnic minorities want.

The Indian community's fear of statelessness, Mr Deputy President, was reflected to the Governor in a letter from the Indian Resources Group on the 10th of this month. The group urged Mr PATTEN to take steps to ensure that the loyal subjects of Her Majesty the Queen would not be faced with the same tragedies as those experienced by ethnic minorities elsewhere when there had been a transfer of sovereignty. I fully share their concern and I hope the sub-committee, set up by the House Committee last week at the request of Mr Jimmy McGREGOR to deal with this problem, will handle the matter sympathetically and expeditiously.