TNAG-2940-FCO40-4216-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1993 — Page 96

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

10 March 1993

香港立法局

~九九三年三月十日

127

MK MARTIN BARROW: Mr President, Miss Emily LAU has said it all in her articulate speech. I will avoid repetition. It is embarrassing to me as someone originating from the United Kingdom that there should be this repeated and disgraceful intransigence on the part of the British Government in not providing full passports for just 2 000 or so families. No doubt the Home Office will continue to argue that this would establish a precedent affecting those in various countries. Given Hong Kong's unique circumstances, that argument is totally unacceptable and redundant.

A resolution is not helped by the attitude of the Hong Kong Government who appear to remain inactive and on the fence.

Mr President, let me pass on some advice I was given recently by a former Home Office Minister who was visiting Hong Kong. He recalled some eight to 10 years ago that messages from the Hong Kong Government on nationality issues were usually not presented in a determined and forceful manner and until it did so it was his view that inevitably the British would take no notice.

If, as I hope, this Council will unanimously support the motion I urge the Government to pass on the result to London with a forceful covering letter.

With these words, I support the motion.

DR LEONG CHE-HUNG: Mr President, I rise to support the motion to request for full British nationality for the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. In supporting this motion, I stress we are requesting full British nationality and not just the right of abode in the United Kingdom or the right to be admitted to the United Kingdom. For these do not technically resolve the stateless problem of these people.

Many reasons have been put forth by Miss Emily LAU and my honourable colleagues and the ad hoc group on this request and I do not propose to go forth with these. Suffice it to say the British Government, being a signatory of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, should honour its legal and moral obligation to prevent these people from becoming stateless as a result of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China.

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