TNAG-2943-FCO40-4219-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1993 — Page 16

-1993

11:08

24 IND LIVERPOOL

44 051 238 3088

P.02

DRAFT SPEECH

LORD BONHAM-CARTER'S BRITISH NATIONALITY (HONG KONG) BILL

LORD FERRERS :

My Lords, it is clear from today's debate that this Bill deals

with a subject about which not only the noble Lord, Lord Bonham-

Carles, but also many others in your Durdskip's House feel very

strongly. We saw this in July when we had the debate on the Hong

Kong Orders in Council.

As we have heard, the Bill is concerned primarily with those Hong

Kong British Dependent Territories citizens or British Nationals

(Overseas) who have no other nationality and who therefore

without one of these forms of British nationality would be

stateless. The measure is directed at those of Hong Kong's

ethnic minorities who are exclusively British. Most of the

ethnic minority population besides having British nationality

have citizenship of India or Pakistan. Those who are the subject

of the Bill have no such second citizenship.

It has been argued very strongly both today and in July that

because of their unique position the 7,000 members of the ethnic

minorities with whom the Bill is concerned should be given the

security of full British citizenship.

1