VIII. SECURITY
CONFIDENTIAL
51.
Her Majesty's Government has announced that it wil1 be
withdrawing the Second Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles from Hong Kong in
1987, and that the battalion will be disbanded leaving a garrison of
on e British and three Gurkha battalions. This is a reduction to
1980 levels. The Second Battalion 7 th Gurkha Rifles was raised at
that time as a stop-gap measure to deal with increased illegal
immigration. Her Majesty's Government, in consultation with the
Hong Kong Government, has also announced that it will not be
proceeding with the
Territories.
construction of the Kohima Barracks in the New
શ
52.
Notwithstanding
1,250 persons per month,
reasons
for
immigration
to en ter Hong Kong
an
The
and
The
the overall reduction in illegal
there was an increase in the numbers attempting
illegally in middle and late 1985. Arrests for this period averaged
that is 30 percent up on the same period
last year, or approximately 15 percent of the level in 1979.
the increase appear to be
of rumours
a mnes ty
decreased levels of border security due to the recent announcement
of a reduction in the garrison, neither of which a re true.
increase may also be in part as a result of the introduction of more
sophisticated detection equipment along the border earlier this
year. Intelligence evaluation
the percentage of those
who evade the security forces at the border out of the total numbers
that attempt to cross has decreased dramatically from 53 percent in
1979 to 10 percent in 1985. Subsequent arrests of evaders in the
the of arrest in
last few years
to 100 per
Cross border
urban
which
that shows
have areas
resulted in rates
probably are
close
cent.
consultations with the Chinese authorities have been held to try to
stem the recent increase.
IX.
CONCLUSION
53.
United
of
The signing of the Joint Declaration, which confirmed that the
Kingdom would remain responsible for the administration
Hong Kong
to 30 June 1997, and which spelled
the basic
policies of
of the People's Republic of China regarding Hong Kong for
up
ou t
17
CONFIDEN TIAL