CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 16010OZ HONG KONG
TELNO 335
OF 151848Z APRIL 93
CONFIDENTIAL
TO.
GO
SS
161650
MDHOAN 1687
19/4.
53
(80)
YOUR TELNOS 566 AND 590: PHASED PROGRAMME FOR REGISTERING BDTCS AS BN (0)S AND FOR ISSUING THEM WITH BN (0) PASSPORTS
1.
We agree that you should try to nip this debate in the bud when the LegCo Sub Committee meets again on 19 April. The following are our comments on the options put forward (para 7 of first TUR) by members of the Sub Committee;
We agree with your lines on Options A and B.
Option C: The wording of the UK memorandum associated with the Joint Declaration is ambiguous as to whether to ''hold'' means ''to be physically in possession of a BNCO) passport'' ''to be registered in that status''. Consequently we would prefer to reject this option on the ground once a person was registered as a BN (0) they would be entitled to a BN (0) passport, so there is little practical difference in separating registration from passport application. Moreover, disentangling the present forms and procedures and devising new ones would take time to complete and some mechanism would still be required for ensuring that applicants came forward in orderly fashion. One could only ensure this by taking legislative action. A two stage process would clearly be a less economical arrangement than the BN (0) cut-off date scheme and it is hard to see what real benefit would be achieved by it. Administrative difficulties would be caused not only in Hong Kong but at all issuing posts and in the UK. Also as you point out the Chinese could raise objections.
Option D: You are correct in assuming that our objection to the holding of two British passports simultaneously still stands.
Option E: There is some doubt whether it would be possible to increase the fee for a Hong Kong BDTC passport without increasing it for BDTCs everywhere else. One would have to
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PAGE CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 340
20 APE 1993
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