TNAG-2790-FCO40-4029-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1993 — Page 69

I

17

Present status/progress

China interest*

UK

interest*

X

Issue

Objective/explanation

Secretary for Security (Cont'd)

Travel Documents of

Z the HKSAR

CONFIDENTIAL **

機

E

Official Secrets

Act

The Basic Law provides for the HKSAR government to issue its own passports and other travel documents. If the other HKSARG is to be ready to issue passports and other travel documents on 1 July 1997, preparations will have to be made before that.

The Official Secrets Act 1989 was extended to Hong Kong as from 30 June 1992. It is not subject to the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance nor to Article VII(3) of the Letters Patent.

We handed over to the Chinese side a set of proposals on the types of travel documents that the HKSARG will need to issue and eligibility criteria for these. The Chinese side has meanwhile said that they would consider issuing PRC passports to Certificate of Identity holders (mostly non-BDTC HK Chinese with no other nationality) before 1997.

ExCo decided in March 1993, during a discussion on access to Government information, that localisation of the Official Secrets Act should be given a high priority in the legislative programme. We intend to seek further advice on this from ExCo before the end of this year.

X

X

CONFIDENTIAL

2

機密