TNAG-2934-FCO40-4209-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 62

10-JUN-1993

15:55

B4 IND LIVERPOOL

HKD 340/1

44 051 206 7086

P.01

150)

RF

From

Mrs C A L Kellas

16 Ju. 1993

CC

Mr Rawsthorne

B2 Division

Mr Whalley

Lunar House Rm 911

#760 1555

9 June 1993

Mr Yates

Mr Brindle

COK 1016.

Mr Kelly

B4 Division

vision

сс

for

Mr Barnes-Jones

information

cupied to clicy want !!TCD. cc to Miss Brooks.

LOSS OF BDTC STATUS

I thought I should just confirm one point which I believe I mentioned to you following my return from Hong Kong in May. Judy Ching (Hong Kong Immigration Department) made the point that uncertainty over implementation of section 2(2) of the 1990 Act was causing concern among some BC/BDTCs who feared that loss of BDTC status would imperil their right of abode in Hong Kong after 1997. There had even been talk of renunciation of British citizenship and she thought that any move to implement that section would cause tremendous unease. What she would find most helpful would be a decision by HMG not to implement the section and allow BDTC status in relation to Hong Kong to disappear in the normal course of events on 1 July 1997. She thought that it would be helpful if a decision on those lines could be taken and made known soon.

Note Section 2(2) says " ABPTC stel cease to be suck

it he

becomes

OV

has

перше

а всё

subsetia becouse

RELATIONS WITH LEGCO

into

a citizen force of this

the coming by virtue of this Act

I believe I also mentioned that Mr Woodhouse (Hong Kong Security Department) was concerned about a growing tendency in Legco to demand papers eg drafts of the BDTC/BN(0) Order. He suggested that this ought to be borne in mind in relation to sensitive documents sent to them in the future; one possibility would be to treat any such documents on a "comment and return" basis. He could then truthfully say that he did not have a copy.

Mr Woodhouse also mentioned that the issue of citizenship for the wives and widows of World War 11 veterans was unlikely to go away. They were a small and declining group and there would be continuing pressure for the Home Secretary to use his discretion under the 1981 Act to waive the UK residence requirement for British citizenship in the case of these women.

The question of the ethnic minorities was also unlikely to go away. He had suggested that they might be invited to "register" their existence (rather as

the wives of

of expatriate British