TNAG-0056-FCO40-92-Evacuation-plan-1967 — Page 129

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U.K. EYES ONLY

families 31,000, non-Chinese foreign nationals and their families 14,500 (including 4,600 American citizens) and there are some 1.9 million Chinese

possessing or entitled to claim Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Of this last group, it is estimated that at least 100,000 would be Chinese and their families who have been closely associated with our administration and would be in particular danger of Communist retaliation. A comprehensive evacuation would thus have to cope with at least 175,000 people and, since many of Hong Kong's non-British Chinese population have already fled from the Communists, many more might wish to leave if facilities existed and a place to go were available.

5.

Essential features of planning an evacuation in these numbers are set out below:-

6.

(1) Priorities must be drawm up; the following are suggested:-

(i) those who must be evacuated for reasons of Britain's

national security;

(ii) those who would be at greatest personal risk in the

event of a Communist take-over;

(iii) remaining British and Commonwealth nationals;

(iv) remaining British subjects of Chinese race;

(v) others who wish to leave.

(2) Appointment of area wardens with responsibilities for warning

and collecting persons in their areas according to lists provided.

(3) Designation of assembly and evacuation areas and provision

of any necessary additional facilities there.

(4) Transport arrangements for collection and evacuation.

(5) Designation of temporary transit and reception centres in other

countrics.

Very preliminary estimatos indicate that, assuming an adequate period of warning and no prior commitmont at the time, aircraft from R.A.F. Support Command and Far East Air Force could evacuate up to 5,000 people a day. The Far East Floet could provide a lift capacity of up to 12,000 per week if òvacuees wore to be taken to Singapore and twice that number if they had to go only as far as Manila. Should it bo possible to make use of merchant shipping and civilian aircraft, the numbers that could be lifted would, of course, be increased. In 1966 there was an average of ten British merchant ships in Hong Kong at any one time. The limiting factor in the utilisation of civil aircraft would be the capacity at Kai Tok Airport to cope with such heavy traffic.

Security

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