ان مراوه
90
A
SECRET
Defence Review: Hong Kong
We maintain forces in Hong Kong for internal security
purposes.
Their presence in support of the police is necessary
as a deterrent to any major threat to law and order and if a
threat should materialise they would be needed to deal with it.
They are also required as a frontier force to prevent unauthorised
movements into the Colony which, as was seen in the 1967 Cultural
Revolution, might otherwise take place on a large scale. They
must be seen to be capable of acting quickly and effectively.
This places a limit on the extent to which the stationed forces
can be reduced and, if provision is made for reinforcement it is
necessary to be able to carry this out rapidly. Stability in the
Colony depends upon confidence of the police and the population in
the ability of the authorities to maintain law and order.
2. The Governor of Hong Kong has been consulted on the minimum
level of forces needed to meet these requirements and on the
possibility of getting the Colony to pay all or the major
part of the cost.