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neither their children nor grandchildren will be stateless. That the British Government stands by its undertaking to consider their case for admission to the United Kingdom with particular sympathy if, contrary to expectation, they were in future to come under severe pressure to leave Hong Kong.
5.
The March LegCo debate passed a motion recommending granting full British nationality to members of ethnic minorities and calling on the Hong Kong Government (HKG) to make representations to HMG. At the same time, the sub-committee recommended sending a delegation to the UK "to urge HMG to fulfil obligations to these people".
6. The Home Office had already reconsidered the issue following the November debate but had remained unconvinced of the case for introducing new primary legislation to give citizenship to this group. However, it was decided not to convey this decision to Hong Kong until after the delegation's visit to London. We also proposed to the Home Office that the Home Secretary himself should see the delegation when they came.
British Citizenship for wives and widows of ex-servicemen
7.
During the second reading of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 the Home Secretary gave an assurance that the spouses of any British citizens who had died and who had been
resident in Hong Kong would be allowed to come to the United Kingdom to settle and to apply for British citizenship in the normal way.
The assurance was extended to the wives and widows
of those servicemen who served in the defence of Hong Kong during the Second World War, irrespective of the husband's nationality. This is a small group (a few dozen) and their call to be granted British citizenship without having to travel to the UK generates considerable sympathy for their cause in Hong
Kong.
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