TNAG-2942-FCO40-4218-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1993 — Page 62

motoká exactly

The 40's

live.

Miss Bliss

рех

Leung in thing Kany

plause pax to Mr Leung & Dr Vickers Hong Kong сори, Ю. Монит

2.

2) Mr Moranis 23/26/2. Mr Woodyow

Morris

pa

As

you

know, we

have

Schmitter

letter from

to Mir Goodlaw /PS a letter

RF

нко

HKCD 340/6..

cc: Mr2Dolphin93

the

Minister to Mr Wardle asking

the Ho

Mr Barnes

to look again

Mr Langdon

Mr Rawsthorne Mr Walmsley

Mr Kelly

Mr Rock

Mr Dorey, FCO

Mrs Barnes Jones, FCO

Hong Kong Dept

at British citizenship for

ethunc minorities / flexibility for

was widows

HOME SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH BARONESS DUNN: 22/7 nist.

THURSDAY 15 JULY 1993

You and Mr Langdon were present today when the Home Secretary met Baroness Dunn, who was in London to speak in the House of Lords debate on the Hong Kong Orders in Council.

Ethnic minorities

2

The ethnic minorities issue was one which Baroness Dunn felt would become increasingly important. She was concerned that the statement made by Charles Wardle in the adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Friday 9 July could cause a political storm in Hong Kong. She felt that the assurances given to the ethnic minorities in 1985 had, in that adjournment debate, been unacceptably narrowed. Baroness Dunn was quite clear that the original undertaking was a general one, rather than being confined simply to the ethnic minorities. For the United Kingdom Government to have narrowed it now, in the current political climate, was extremely unhelpful she said.

3 The Home Secretary began by reminding Baroness Dunn of the decision he had made recently over the issue of BDTC passport holders retaining those passports when issued with BN(0) passports, up until 1997 alongside their new BN (0) passports. He informed Baroness Dunn that he had given further consideration to the concerns of the ethnic minorities, but was clear that they could not automatically be granted British citizenship. Clear assurances had been given over the years that the individual applications of any members of this group who came under pressure to leave after 1997 would be considered sympathetically. The Government had no intention to resile from this assurance but equally it did not intend to expand it. The Home Secretary acknowledged that some held a different view, and assured Baroness Dunn that the Governor of Hong Kong was meticulous in passing on to him and to other United Kingdom colleagues the views expressed by LegCo in Hong Kong, but explained that the

that Government had consistently maintained

the assurances applied solely to the ethnic minorities. This position had not changed.

112