CONFIDENTIAL
rchie Hamilton Esq, MP Minister of State Ministry of Defence
London
SW1
THE GURKHAS
You will know that the Governor of Hong Kong expressed concern about the possible implications of the options for change exercise for the future of the Gurkhas in Hong Kong when he called on the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary in the summer. Sir David Wilson pointed out that a decision to disband the Gurkha battalions in Hong Kong would be a reversal of previous Ministerial commitments and would have a very damaging effect on morale. There would also be important operational and financial implications.
We take it from what the Prime Minister said to the Governor on 28 June (the relevant extract from the record is enclosed for ease of reference) that there can be no question of changing the commitment to maintain the Gurkhas in Hong Kong up to 1997, nor of allowing the Gurkhas to be run down beyond what has already been agreed in the period up to 1997. We should welcome your confirmation of this.
Members of the Brigade of Gurkhas attach great importance to the existing Ministerial commitment that there will be a continuing role for the Gurkhas in the British Army after 1997. If doubt were to be cast on that commitment, a serious morale problem would develop and the operational efficiency of the Gurkhas before that date would be rapidly eroded. The knowledge that the Gurkhas have an assured future is, of course, important not only in Hong Kong. As you know, the Sultan of Brunei wants to maintain one battalion in Brunei.
Moreover, the Gurkha connection has long been one of the most significant factors in our bilateral relations with Nepal, and provides a useful contribution to the Nepalese economy. The Nepalese Prime Minister, Mr Bhattarai, has commented to our Ambassador about the value he places on the Gurkha link, and expressed the hope that the reductions announced by Mr Younger could be made as gradually as possible. We must be careful to protect this Nepalese goodwill, which would be damaged by speculation about the post-1997 future for the Brigade.
Accordingly, if there is any question of these commitments being reconsidered, I hope you will agree that the issue should be fully examined interdepartmentally, so that due weight can be given to the foreign policy factors involved.
Mark Lennox-Boyd
PAGAAT
CONFIDENTIAL