TNAG-2931-FCO40-4206-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 83

1993-03-29

17:44 BECURITY BRANCH

852 888 5074

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10635B

Annex D

BDTC/BN(0) PASSPORT CONVERSION PROGRAMME

Present Position

Hong Kong BDTC passports become defunct on 1 July 1997. People who wish thereafter to keep the British connection and benefit from British travel documents must apply for BN (0) passports. We will have a serious operational and staffing problem in early 1997 if people leave their decision to the last minute.

2.

ExCo agreed at the end of last year to a phased programme, whereby people who want BN(0)s will have to come forward at certain times according to their age-group. The legal backing for this requires an Order in Council which should go through Parliament in May or June. The first group is scheduled for July - October (22-26 year olds).

3.

There will be a let-out for those who miss their time-slot for good reasons, but this will not include waiting to decide later. If we made this loophole any more open, it would undermine the whole programme.

4.

We are publicizing details this week, in answer to questions raised at the LegCo Nationality Sub-Committee. We have earlier alerted the Chinese side in a very general way. (In her Budget Debate speech the Chairman of the Sub-Committee, Emily Lau, was worried about depriving people of their BDTCship. We are not. IE they choose to apply for a BN (0) passport, they cannot simultaneously keep their BDTC passport, but their

BDTCship remains until 1997.) Initial reaction has generally accepted the administrative necessity of this

measure,

5.

爨

There is one possible sensitive area in respect of SAR passports. Chinese officials have mentioned to journalists that they would like to raise this at a future JLG. In the late 1980's the Chinese side confirmed that both BN (O) and SAR passports can be held and this is the obvious interpretation of the Basic Law. It is just possible, in present circumstances, they may go back on this. If there is uncertainty, the exercise will be more difficult, as people will say it is unfair to be asked to choose when the implications of the choice are not clear.

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