hum15.4garrison
CONFIDENTIAL
HICA 063/1
.6 1993
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FROM:
DATE:
CC:
The
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Mr
Hyẩm
PF Ricketts
Hong Kong Department
15 April 1993
PS/Mr Goodlad Sir J Coles Sir T Daunt
Mr Lever
Mr Donelly, NPDD
ontime.
Cre
HONG KONG: THE GARRISON
1.
I accompanied the Governor to his meeting with the Defence Secretary in the House this afternoon.
2.
The
MOD had helpfully given me an account in advance of the approach which the Defence Secretary would be taking following an internal MOD meeting earlier in the week. Governor was therefore forewarned, and the meeting was positive.
3.
The Governor began by describing the difficulty of securing LegCo's support for funding the garrison at the present level. He hoped that Hong Kong could have an input to the MOD's thinking on reducing the garrison.
•
4 The Defence Secretary said that in his view the crucial element in planning the future size of the garrison was the Governor's judgement of what was essential in Hong Kong. One option which the MOD had looked at was accelerating the run-down of the garrison to reach quickly the level of a single battalion. He did not want to discard that. It would have the advantage of producing a substantial reduction quickly in the cost to HKG, and would release manpower which could be useful elsewhere. But he was conscious that it could send a signal both to Peking and to Hong Kong about a lessening in British resolve over Hong Kong. He wondered whether this was the time to be sending such a signal. There were also a number of other reasons why he did not wish to pursue it at this stage. But if the imminent talks with China proceeded in a satisfactory way and a degree of tranquility descended on the scene, then he would invite the Governor to look seriously at the possibility of running down more quickly to one battalion.
CONFIDENTIAL