16 July 1993
David Howell, Esq, MP House of Commons
LONDON
SWLA OAA
HKA 063/1
JUL 1993
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
146
London SW1A 2AH
From The Minister of State
wivil Tokor
for Mardan
pa.
19/2
Jea Daw J.
In view of the Foreign Affairs Committee's enquiry into Hong Kong and China and the interest of members of the Committee in our plans for Hong Kong when I gave evidence last week, I thought you might appreciate advance notice of a Written Answer from the Secretary of State for Defence being published this afternoon setting out our broad plans for the staged withdrawal of the Hong Kong garrison between now and June 1997. I enclose a copy of the text of the Answer.
This announcement comes after a lengthy period of planning and review and follows on from reductions that have already been made in the size of the garrison. We felt that 1997 was sufficiently close to justify setting out our plans for the remainder of the lifetime of the garrison. As you know the demise of the Hong Kong commitment was one of the key assumptions in drawing
and in up our plans for the size of the Armed Forces
This particular the Army - under Options for Change. announcement simply describes how we believe the withdrawal can be best effected, taking into account the security situation in and around Hong Kong; the expanding capabilities of the Hong Kong police; and the need to make the most cost-effective use of our military resources. I should also add that this announcement does not imply any change in our longer term plans for the future of the Brigade of Gurkhas.
We have informed the Chinese Government of our plans, as well as the Governments of Nepal and Brunei, given their interest in the Gurkhas.
Ame
ALASTAIR GOODLAD