·
SUBMISSION
EVACUATION OF MACAO
Mr. Bass-to see
for reg No. Bailey - Jor
req.
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เท่
32
F126 A
32/6/1
Ministers decided on the 17th January to accede to a request
from the Portuguese Government to provide transit facilities through
Hong Kong for civilian Portuguese Nationals evacuated from Macao.
The Portuguese Government has been so informed, and detailed arrange-
ments are now being settled in Hong Kong between the authorities there
and the Portuguese Consul-General.
2.
The British Ambassador in Lisbon has suggested (Lisbon telegram
No.27) that, although no request has been received from the Fortuguese
in regard to military personnel (numbering about 1,000), consideration
should be given to accepting Fortuguese soldiers without their arms,
if the need arises and there is no other avenue of escape. He adds
that it seems most unlikely that the Portuguese Government would order
any form of military resistance to the Chinese.
3. A Portuguese troopship (the "OR") is in Hong Kong at the
present time. Her capacity is 443 passengers on a long voyage but
she could take many more on her decks. she can however only lie off
Macao in Chinese-claimed waters and has to be loaded (as is her
normal practice) by lighter or launch. This should not present
insuperable difficulties if the Chinese do not wish to interfere with
the departure of military personnel.
4. We do not think we should volunteer any facilities for military
personnel at this stage as we want to involve ourselves as little as
possible in the Macao dispute because of possible repercussions on
Hong Kong. We may, however, be faced with a situation in which
military personnel join the exodus from lacao at some point. 5. The Governor of liong Kong (whom we have consulted) proposes, in
agreement with the Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong, that
military personnel who make their way to Hong Kong should be received,
accommodated in military camps under military arrangements and
supervision, and (where necessery) disarmed the Portuguese
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