TNAG-2944-FCO40-4220-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-dependants-wives-and-widow-1993 — Page 122

File No.

M. (Cont'd)

17

). Puge

Implications of Granting Full BCship to Wives/widows

8.

I do not believe, therefore, that the wives and

widows can be given British citizenship except through new

priminary legislation in the UK. There are in any case,

wider implications. First, we would logically have to

The

upgrade the position of the ex-servicemen themselves.

assurance given to the ex-servicemen in 1986 above did not

give them automatic full British citizenship, although in

practice the British Government has approved applications

for Registration as a BC under Section 4 (5) from those

ex-servicemen who were BDTCS, and will be likely to

approve those from ex-servicemen who are naturalized as

BDTCS in the future.

Secondly, there is also the question of

'dependants' who were included in the 1986 assurance,

Although the wives in this case have already been counted

and there are probably very few dependant children left

under the age of 18, this category would have to be added

Lo the 30 or fewer cxtra full British passports,

10.

Thirdly, giving full British citizenship to wives

and widows of ex-servicemen would raise the question of

the spouses (and widows and widowers) of other British Citizens

resident in Hong Kong (and indeed elsewhere in the world

outside the UK).

This group was given the same assurance

as the wives and widows of ex-servicemen in 1990.

G. F. !%

/Those.