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SECRET Part I to COS 16th Meeting/68
12th March 1968
Co
Mauritius
SIR CHARLES ELWORTHY said that one of the two companies of he King's Shropshire Light Infantry presently deployed on internal security duties in Mauritius would be withdrawn on 15th March 1968. On the recommendation of the Governor of Mauritius the one company remaining would probably be required until July 1968. He would invite the Commander-in-Chief to give his views.
GENERAL CARVER said that if the situation in Hong Kong did not deteriorate he intended to move the additional Gurkha battalion now in the Colony, back to Malaysia in June 1968, and would not reinforce the garrison with the 1st Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry as he had previously intended. If this were done he saw no difficulty in maintaining the present commitment in Mauritius until November 1968. However, should the situation in Hong Kong deteriorate, he would then have to reinforce the garrison either by the 1st Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, in which case the Mauritius commitment would have to be undertaken from the United Kingdom, or Hong Kong would have to be reinforced by a battalion from the United Kingdom, while the 1st Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry continued with the commitment in Mauritius.
In discussion, the following points were made:
q.
It was agreed that the commitment in Mauritius could be maintained either by forces from Far East Command or from the United Kingdom. Should it be necessary to use forces from the United Kingdom, the details could be worked out at a later date.
Using forces from Far East Command could have advantages over using forces from the United Kingdom for the commitment in Mauritius.
Summing up, SIR CHARLES ELWORTHY said they were agreed that the internal security commitment for Mauritius could be continued if necessary from Far East Command or from the United Kingdom.
The Committee:
(4) Took note.
- 9.
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