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capacity of the security foroon to handlo.
4. Major Problers of lithdrawal. First and foremost
of these will be the discharge of our responsibilities to
British subjects and foreign nationals resident in the
Colony and to British ond foreign assets there.
Necondly there will be the problems of maintaining
internal security after the decision to withdraw has
been announced: public confidence will be destroyed
overnight and with it may vanish the inclination to
accept established authority.
5. We have a responsibility to protect, and provide
for the departure of, all British subjects and Common-
wealth citizens of non-Chinese reqo end for Curicha
troops and their dependants. The numbers involved are
about 61,000, including British and Gurkha servicemen
and their families (about 30,000 at the present timo,
although this number will fall if, as planned, Gurkha
unita are phaned out and British units are stationed
in Hong Kongon an unaccompanied basis). There is no
problem hero of finding an alternative place of
of residence for the civilians, but of providing
facilities for them to leave with their sesets and in
BOBB CA808 (ossibly of assisting with resettlement.
6. We have a residual responsibility to sea that
foreign nationals other than Chinese (mumbering about
15,000) have the opportunity to leave if they wish and
if their own Governmentes fail to make arrangements for
They must look to their own Governments for
protection of their asseta and any other assistanos
required after leaving Hong Kong.
7. Te have a responsibility to protect Chinese who
are citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonios; about
half (or 1.9 million) of the Chinese population have,
or are entitled to alaim, this status. Clearly there
fia
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