British government officials considered moving 5.5 million people from Hong Kong to Northern Ireland after the handover to China, a report said today.

A sociology lecturer proposed the plan, saying a city state should be established in Magilligan, Northern Ireland because Hong Kong’s population would have no political future after the handover in 1997, the British Guardian daily reported, citing documents released by the UK National Archives.

His suggestion was seized upon by Northern Ireland civil servant, George Fergusson, who began discussions with the Foreign Office, according to a file titled ‘The Replantation of N Ireland from Hong Kong’ from 1983 released by Britain’s National Archives.

“At this stage we see real advantages in taking the proposals seriously,” said Fergusson.

Not everyone was quite so enthusiastic about the plan to move the Hong Kong population to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

An official at the Foreign Office wrote: “My mind will be boggling for the rest of the day.”

It is unclear whether the proposal reached the ministerial level, but it showed the frustration and uncertainty during the planning of the handover.

In 1984, Margaret Thatcher signed the Sino-joint declaration that paved the way for Hong Kong to return to China in 1997.

- dpa