LH Curzon Esq CB,
inistry of efence.
JUPITIAL
п
Covering recuer Реслава
میناها
En
in
1412
14 February 1972.
10/16.
HWB
The wilding of the nake Fence in Hong Kong
Our departments have been correspondi g for rose years about the cost of building in 1967 a secondary fence across the New Territories.
he purpose for which the fence was built are set out in the DAG's telegram from Hong Kong No 1320 of 19 August, 1,67 (co; y attached for ense of reference).
tt P has lain dormant for uite some time since in fact it was decided tast it wold be unwice to ursue the intention of billing the Hong Kong overament for t cost, £173,340, of the ray stores
A
consumed in building it while we were in the aile of trying to extract an increased defence contribution from the Government of the Colony. The į rojosal which has now been rut to me is that a sho la try again torrunde the Hong ng Government to meet the cost of the fer.ce.
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3. Infortunately I do act agree with much that has been written in the office and in the Ministry of Defence about the origins of the fence and in this 7 ask you to bear with me since I was tre
cllio olitical Adviser in Hong Yong at the time in question and wrote the .telegram No. 1320 to which I have referred,
4. From earl; July 1967 after the incident at Shataukok the
Imy
a takva over responsibility for the defence of the border with the
olice in sort. There had been a number of incidents of incursion by groups of people into the Jolony. b.
At ankaato in particular numbers of chinese nad intruded into our territory, torn down the border fence and otir obotscles and ended up by holding prisoner within our terri- tory Brigadier artin and a number of Gurkhas. t the came time endit.ons in China curing the Cultural evolution were much that there was serious risk either that large numbers of Chinese fleeing from the Culturel :volution Light try to burst over the frontier or alternatively, to cabarrase tae British troops on the border, might be driven over t The only fence existent at that time was the one immediately south of the Chua Chua river which was of course not only under observation from the nese side, but within easy range for stone throwing nd quite useless so far as the British troops were concerned as an ovetacle anich would help them to control any incursion of either of the kinds mentioned above, or indeed of any other kind.
ively,
CONFIDENTIAL
15.
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