TNAG-2942-FCO40-4218-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1993 — Page 53

27-JUL-1993

26-JUL-1993 17:17

14:34

HK GOVERNMENT HOUSE

852 521 1868

P.06

CHIEF SECRETARY HONG KONG

+ 852 810 6734

P.06

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Honourable Members have also enquired in recent days whether the assurance given to the ethnic minorities applied to other British nationals in Hong Kong. Ministers have said in recent Parliamentary debates that the specific assurance they were repeating - and which I have quoted above - was made in the context of the ethnic minorities. But let me also remind Honourable Members of the assurances given by the then Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in June 1989 in the context of what was referred to as "the worst case scenario". Sir Geoffrey said that if, against all our expectations, "... the worst were to happen, plainly the special responsibility of the United Kingdom for the people of Hong Kong would be inescapable and part of that responsibility would be a responsibility to mobilise the widest possible international help." [Minutes of Evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, 14th June 1989, Col. 365]. While we do not expect such a scenario to occur, should it do so, that assurance stands and remains the policy of the British Government.

12.

Finally, I would like to mention one further nationality issue of great concern in the community and in particular to the small number of individuals affected; namely the wives and widows of ex-servicemen. We have repeatedly pressed the Home Office to consider exercising flexibility vis-a-vis this group as far as the qualifying period for naturalisation or registration is concerned. The numbers are small; and plainly the individuals concerned are

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