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Yet London adamantly refuses to issue Hong Kong's Chinese residents, who make up 98% of the population, the first-class passports that would allow them to settle in Britain if they choose. As citizens of a British Dependent Territory, the Hong Kong Chinese cannot emigrate to the United Kingdom without special permission, which has become increasingly difficult to obtain. While a House of Commons committee is expected to recommend loosening the restrictions, most Britons fear that such a move would lead to an unwelcome new wave of immigration.
Anger at being barred from Britain apparently helped rouse Hong Kong's slumbering political spirit last week. In an emotional declaration, Frances Hung, a 24-year-old secretary who braved a typhoon to participate in a march, asserted, "I am a Chinese British subject with a British passport, but what does that mean? Nothing. I cannot leave Hong Kong. The people in Tiananmen Square are my brothers and sisters. They have the same blood as I do. I am Chinese." The unaccustomed outpouring of emotion left many demonstrators teary-eyed. Even the colony's upper crust showed its support by allowing a racetrack owned by the exclusive Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club to be used during the massive protests last Sunday.
Nor did the newfound solidarity end in the streets. Leading business and professional groups filled Hong Kong newspapers with ads backing the students in Beijing. "I see this as a positive development," said a Western diplomat, "because it means people are beginning to take an active political role and are not just looking for an exit visa."
The seeds that Hong Kong activists planted last week could produce wholesome fruit. In the short run, the colony will fight harder than it might have a few weeks ago for guarantees to preserve its British-given freedoms once it rejoins China in 1997. In the long run, Hong Kong residents could find themselves championing the very same rights on behalf of their compatriots after the colony returns to the country from which it was wrested so long ago.