TNAG-0035-FCO40-71-Relations-with-Macao-1968 — Page 206

8.

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The Ambassador said that we would realise that the Portuguese Government could not leave preparations to the last moment, when a dangerous situation would have been reached or would be imminent. The Portuguese Government confidently hoped that the presence of a few hundred extra people (or perhaps at the most a thousand or two) for a few days in the territory of Hong Kong, who had a population of 4 millions, would not cause insuperable difficulties for the Hong Kong authorities.

9. The Ambassador was told that we would reply to his Government's request as soon as possible. If the numbers of people likely to be involved were as small as the Ambassador had indicated, it seemed likely that the existing ferry service would

The be sufficient to provide transport from Macau to Hong Kong. Ambassador did not dissent but indicated that his original instructions, as he had already explained to us, had covered possible co-operation by the Hong Kong authorities in the provision of transport. He supposed therefore that the Portuguese authorities must have envisaged that the existing ferries might be inadequate.

10. We shall be making submission to Ministers tomorrow 17th January.

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