TNAG-0308-FCO40-344-Contributions-of-Hong-Kong-for-costs-of-maintaining-military-1971 — Page 114

From: Mr. G. J. Gammon,

Our reference: A/16/ABD/6305 Your reference:

SECRET

F1 (Air)

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Main Building, Whitehall, LONDON S.W.1 Telephone: WHItehall 7022, ext. He

D12/947

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51

23 man 1971

HKK10/9

E. 0. Laird, Esq. CMG, MBE Hong Kong Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Whitehall SW1

11 March 1971

40

Dear Laird,

HONG KONG DEFENCE CONTRIBUTION

At your meeting on 4 March, I undertook to look into a number of points arising from the memorandum by Hong Kong Unofficials, on which comment might be made in a separate guidance telegram to the Governor.

2. We have consulted Mr. Gwynn, who does not consider it necessary to refer the proposed reply to the Unofficials' Memorandum to Ministers, although he will wish to consider whether the revised version of the draft telegram should be shown to our PUS.

3. We are not too happy about the wording of the final sentence of paragraph 6 of Gaminara's original draft, which you agreed to put into the guidance telegram rather than the reply to the Unofficials. We suggest that the undertaking should be made more restrictive by rewording it as follows:-

4.

"If however there should be such a serious adverse change in the Colony's economic situation during the period of the agreement that the continued payment of such a sum could be shown to be an unreasonable burden on the Colony' finances, Ministers would certainly be prepared to con- sider a reduction in the amount of the contribution."

At your meeting, you raised the question whether we have forces in Hong Kong which are there for purposes other than the external or internal defence of the Colony. Broadly speaking, the garrison would not be there unless it was required for the defence of Hong Kong. Although there are small support elements connected for instance with the Gurkhas in Brunei, and although the Major General Brigade of Gurkhas has his headquarters at Hong Kong, the numbers involved are small. It would not, therefore, be incorrect to say that "the Garrison is there for the internal and external defence of the Colony, and any expenditure thereby incurred is in the interests of Hong Kong.".

15.