CONFIDENTIAL
SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: 30 JUNE
BRIEF NO 5 :
REINFORCEMENT
1. Following the Governor's discussions with Ministers, the
Secretary of State for Defence announced on 20 June that
reinforcements were being despatched to Hong Kong to help
control illegal immigration from China. The reinforcements
consist of an infantry battalion from the United Kingdom and
two companies from the Gurkha battalion in Brunei, together with
helicopters, hovercraft, a fast patrol boat and supporting
personnel. Some of these additional forces will already have
arrived in Hong Kong by the time of the Secretary of State's
visit. The bulk of the deployment should be completed by
mid-July.
OUTSTANDING PROBLEMS
2.
a) Costs. The 1975 Defence Costs Agreement between the
United Kingdom and Hong Kong Governments provides for the
costs of the garrison to be shared, with Hong Kong paying
75% and the United Kingdom 25%. The Hong Kong Government
take the view that as the Agreement envisaged that the
garrison would be reinforced when necessary, the cost of
reinforcements should be shared on the same basis. The
Secretary of State for Defence has argued that the Hong
Kong Government should be pressed to pay the entire costs
(which could, on Ministry of Defence calculations, be as
high as £60 million). Our view is that while it may be
appropriate for Hong Kong to pay more than 75% for some
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CONFIDENTIAL