TNAG-2933-FCO40-4208-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 31

SELUFI

BAHNCA

Ethnic Minorities

Ü & As

Q. 1

A. 1

Q. 2

A. 2

for year

hart wrot

العليم

In view of its previous apparent neutrality', has (pred for the Hong Kong Government really made the ethnic (God)

minorities case forcefully, as promised by the Secretary for Security after the unanimous LegCo vote? What is the Governor's personal position on this, given that he was in the Cabinet that must have rejected their case earlier?

(Prepared

браны 3/6

This question seems self-contradictory and designed merely to embarrass Chris Patten. Yes, the Hong Kong Government has put the case of the ethnic minorities to us as promised to LegCo. Chris Patten is in charge of the Hong Kong Government. What the British Cabinet now decides on the basis of this submission we shall have to see understandably Home Office Ministers, who are responsible for such matters, want to discuss the case face to face with the relevant LegCo delegation when they visit London for that purpose in a couple of weeks, before deciding.

If the Home Office/British Cabinet decides to give full British Citizenship to the ethnic minorities here, where does that leave the rest of Hong Kong people?

I am not going to prempt or presume any change in policy. The present position is that the British Nationality Scheme for up to 50,000 full British passports on an individual family basis,, applicable to ethnic minorities and Hong Kong Chinese alike, is going smoothly and satisfactorily.