TNAG-2936-FCO40-4211-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 40

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assurance that you were willing to consider the case of individual BN (0)s if they were expelled from Hong Kong. This appreciation, we gather, was also shared by the other Members who are close to the subject; Christine Loh went further and, when asked on radio whether she was satisfied with such a hedged-about assurance, pointed out that it was something and that in fact the Government had been quite brave in its reaction to the Han Dong-fang case.

4. The reaction of the press was generally a little confused, partly because of the bifurcated nature of the motion, and partly because of the earlier confusion about the remit of the Baroness Young assurance. Some assumed this one would also be limited to the ethnic minorities. The South China Morning Post, as you may have noted, seems to have missed the point altogether, as they have since acknowledged to us. The Chinese press was in some cases, however, more full and accurate on both parts of the motion.

Comments

5.

This was to some extent an apple-pie motion on which a specific follow-up is not really expected. However the issues and the worries will not go away. The depth of the worry, particularly among those who see themselves as conceivably in the same sort of position in relation to the HKSAR as Han Dong-fang is to China, explains the appreciation of an assurance to BN (0)s which goes slightly further than any you had confirmed before. grateful for your prompt reaction in this respect.

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