霄
DRAFT LETTER TO TAM DALYELL ESQ, MP
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your
letter of 28th December with which you enclosed a pamphlet
by Frank Allaun which questioned, among other things, why
we station forces in Hong Kong.
2. In terms of population Hong Kong is by far the largest
of our remaining dependent territories, and we are
constitutionally responsible for protecting those who live
Their safety and prosperity can be
and work there.
threatened in several ways.
Internal disorder, whether
politically inspired or not, can break out unexpectedly and prove very difficult for the civil police to control unaided,
as we learned in 1967.
30. The garrison also play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the border against incursions which while
they may be relatively minor, could rapidly become more ambitious if unchecked. Allied to this is the problem of
illegal immigration from China. Some hundreds of illegal
immigrants are detected each month.
4. For these reasons we would reject Frank Allaun's
assertion that our forces in Hong Kong serve no military
purpose, though the purpose they do serve is not primarily the
only one he apparantly contemplates
G
an overt Chinese attack.
Happily this appears to be a much less likely type of threat
than the others I have mentioned.
1
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.