SECRET
}
asylum is granted in those rare cases where there is reason to
believe that the immigrants life or liberty might be in danger if
they were returned.
24. The Hong Kong Government has for some time been anxious about
the threat which would be posed by a mass influx of refugees into the Colony, particularly in the event of a collapse of authority in the neighbouring Kwangtung Province (as occurred very temporarily in 1962). They have accordingly recently constructed a substantial barbed wire fence some 1,000 to 3,500
yards south of the border. The purpose of the fence, which is about 30' wide, is to stop land incursions of all kinds (although
it will have little military significance) and to assist in
controlling any mass influx of refugees.
Role of Garrison
DEFENCE AND INTERNAL SECURITY
25. Hong Kong cannot be defended against a determined Chinese
attack except perhaps by the use of nuclear weapons. There are
no plans for the reinforcement of Hong Kong against external aggression and the external role of the Garrison is to "Identify aggression". Local opinion, while probably under no illusion about the ability of the present Garrison to resist for long,
regards the existence of British troops deployed to guard the
frontier as an assurance of our intention to maintain our position
in the Colony. The principal role of the garrison is therefore
to assist in maintaining internal security and local confidence;
if either were to slip, the Chinese Government would be quick to
exploit the situation and our position would rapidly become
untenable.
Strength and 26. The present Garrison in the Colony consists of 63 major Composition
Army units and three coastal minesweepers. of Garrison
Fighter air cover is
provided from Singapore. H.M. Government's decision to withdraw their forces from Singapore and Malaysia by the end of
1971 will mean that it will thereafter not be possible to
reinforce the Hong Kong Garrison from those sources in time of
need. This situation will entail keeping a higher level of
forces in the Colony itself. It has accordingly been decided
that the future Garrison should consist of:
Royal Navy
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