Your Ref: D/SEC(O) (C) 6/7
Our Ref:
SECRET
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
Date: 18 May 1993
HKA 063/1
17 MA¡ 1993
TES
Adion Take
London SWIA 2AH
Telephone: 071-
270-2655
BY FLASH TUBE
M L Howard Esq
SEC(O) (C)
Room 5314 Main Building MOD
Dean Mart
HONG KONG: FUTURE OF THE GARRISON
64
1. Thank you for your letter of 14 May enclosing a draft OPD (K) paper. I have discussed this with Mr Ricketts and Mr
Hum.
2.
In general we think the paper is a good one, but have a number of detailed comments.
i) I am not sure that this paper is the right place to raise the question of non-payment of the DCA (para 3) but if it must be raised then
1 we would prefer the following The Finance Committee of Legco effectively has a power of veto over any Government expenditure proposals. It is the Governor's judgement that unless it can be demonstrated that the costs of the garrison are declining sharply, there was a risk if Legco had been approached for the additional appropriations the entire DCA could have been called into question.
ii) We think that the potential risks of an earlier withdrawal might be spelled out in more detail. I have drafted a paragraph (enclosed) which could be fitted in before the military implications section, (and would therefore make the last sentence of paragraph 6 unnecessary).
iii) In the fourth sentence of para 4 replace 'responsibility' by 'remaining responsibilities'.
iv) I enclose paragraphs on the political handling covering perceptions in Hong Kong, as requested.
SECRET
65