**
10 "current"
SECRET
To Rechetts, HKD
Thoum
Privary secretary he
Mr
Hym
minitor agres
PS/Mr Goodrad
G.J. Derey's
G
IKA 063/1
FROM:
Surton 282 ba
PF Ricketts
Hong Kong Department
DATE:
7 June 1993
B
Sir J Coles
816-
cc:
Private Secretary
14 JUN 1993
DESK
r T Daunt
Mr Lever
Donnelly, NPDD
Mr Gomersall, Sec Pol Dept Mr Fry, FED
Mr Bat
6
86
A
OPD(K) PAPER
HONG KONG GARRISON: OPD(K)
1.
#JHG
The Secretary of State agreed to the recommendation in my minute of 6 May (attached) that we and the MOD should produce a * joint OPD (K) paper considering the pros and cons of an early
run down of the garrison in Hong Kong. I submit a draft, which has been seen by the Governor, who supports its
recommendations.
MOD are submitting in parallel to the Defence Secretary. It also incorporates changes suggested by us and by Sir R McLaren. The paper has already been approved by the
Chiefs of Staff.
2.
The memorandum is self-explanatory.
The pressure for
The MOD
early run-down came originally from the Governor and was budget-driven, given the difficulty of securing approval for Hong Kong's share of the costs at their present level. were at first opposed. But they came to see advantages (a) in
terms of freeing up manpower to help ease their over-stretch elsewhere in the world, and (b) in order to meet Hong Kong's genuine political difficulty in paying their assessed
contribution. As a first step, Hong Kong and the MOD have
already agreed that one of the existing three battalions (a Gurkha battalion) should be sent on temporary duty to Belize
hum7.6garrison/MIN/NJH
SECRET