Ugandan Asians Seek Dual Citizenship

UGANDANS of Asian origin have renewed their demand for dual citizenship in the wake of a pronouncement by the British government to grant them (Asians) the right to settle in Britain, reports Richard Mutumba.British citizens of Asian origin living in Uganda are among the 350,000 in East Africa to be granted the right to settle in Britain, Home Secretary David Blunkett told The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. Blunkett will announce the changes today in an amendment to the immigration, nationality and asylum bill. The chairman of the Indian Association of Uganda, Murtuza Dalal, yesterday said the Association is arranging to meet the British High Commissioner, Tom Philips, for details on the matter.“My association is planning to meet the High Commissioner. We need more information before we can react to the reports,” Dalal said.He said, “one of the things we have asked the Government of Uganda is to grant us dual citizenship. If Uganda allows dual citizenship, there would be no scramble for full British citizenship by Asians.”“Some people may not like to relinquish their Ugandan citizenship. We therefore request the Government of Uganda to consider the issue of dual citizenship not only for Ugandan Asian citizens but also for those Ugandans who are citizens of other countries and would like to retain their Ugandan citizenship,” he said. The British High Commission in Kampala said it did not have the data on Asians in Uganda who would qualify for full citizenship. It referred The New Vision to the British Home office in London. Ends