TNAG-0560-FCO40-655-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 7

19/3/LAO 19/5/CON 19/1/UN

CDS Drace-Francis Esq Colonial Secretariat

Lower Albert Road HONG KONG

Dear

SECRET

BRITISH EMBASSY

BANGKOK

11 April, 1975

PD

iv.

(53)

Times

t

UN NARCOTICS CONFERENCE

14

4

Please refer to your NS 98/76/980 letter dated 24 March.

2. The verbal proposal made at the U N Conference held in Bangkok in September 1974 that Laos should host the 1975 and Hong Kong the 1976 Conferences has already received favourable responses from the then Commissioner of Narcotics, Hong Kong, Mr Norman Rolph and from the Royal Hong Kong Police reflecting Hong Kong Government thinking at the time Whether or not the present situation in Laos dictates that Hong Kong should now host the 1975 conference at this short notice, if approached by the United Nations, is of course a matter for Hong Kong to decide but in the interests of maintaining good relations in the region it is recommended that Hong Kong should make every effort to step into the breach.

3. Addressees are probably aware that General Kham Hou Boussarath has already resigned from his position as Head of the Laos Narcotics Bureau and returned to his former role as Head of Intelligence for the Prime Minister. The Groupe Speciale d'Investigation (G.S.I.) of Laos has been dissolved and responsibility for the various aspects of anti-narcotics activities is being, if it has not already been, invested in various separate departments without as yet any central co-ordinating or controlling body.

SECRET

/4.