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Minister of State ('th Attains (2nd Shaphers)
discussed this matter with the
3. The report was considered at a meeting of the
Ministerial Committee on Hong Kong on 22nd September
which the Governor of Hong Kong attended (K(67)2nd
The Ministerial Committee
Meeting, Item 2).
We/agreed with the conclusions
of the report, that contingency planning on the
lines which the Defence and Oversea Policy Committee
agreed should,
had asked to be studied could not be carried out
within the limitations imposed by security, and that
the possibility was remote that any plan could be
prepared for the evacuation of significant numbers of
people. However before reporting these conclusions
to my colleagues, I invited the Governor to report
on the extent to which plans were already in
existence for the evacuation of specially vulnerable
persons; how far any such plans could be pursued with-
out risk to security; and also on the effectiveness
of any plan which could be prepared within the
limitations imposed.
duniy his recent visit to Hay Kong. The position. 4. The Governor has reported that existing plans
consist of no more than incomplete and out-of-date
lists of vulnerable and sensitive people. It would
not be possible to revise and improve these lists
or to make any worthwhile plans for the evacuation of
listed persons without extending beyond the Governor
and the Commander British Forces the knowledge that
evacuation plans were being prepared. In the
Land Shepherd,
opinion of the Governor and of Commonwealth Office
officials, whe discussed this point with him in
Sulucanoes
Hong Kong last month, to extend this knowledge to
other officials in Hong Kong on the scale necessary to
produce meaningful plans would constitute an
unacceptable risk. 1. agree with this new.
planning
h
should b
guspended TOT
time being”
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