ANU
COMMONWEALTH
29 MAR 1978
Dear Sir, TIURE SECTION
FFICE
акк особь
24" Marchianes
вери.
INDEX
No
3 0 MAR 1978
S OFFICER
21
PA
は
As one who was intimately concerned with.
Empire, both as a soldier and an administrator, for XEX thirty two years and as one who is now a taxpayer and
a voter in this country I am much disturebed
British
by anxiety regarding this country's dealings with one of its remaining overseas possessions, the Colony of HONGKONG.
I should like to be assured
(1) That its retention is in the interests of this country. While I realise that it may serve as a market for British goods and for the acquisition of foreign exchange the products of its factories and sweatshops compete with products made in this country
Has there been any recent estimate of the balance of advantage? (2) That the Government has plans for the future of this Territory which is patently untenable from a military
point of view.I should, in particular, like a specific
assurance that the Government has plans for securing the welfare of those of its four million British subjects who would wish to leave the territory in the case of a change of regime.
The Government will not have failed to observe the difficulties
recently faced by the Dutch in accomodating the large numbers of their Indonesian subjetts after they withdrew from the
East Indies or the problems created by the withdrawal of the United States from Vietnam nor is it necessary for me to mention the difficulties created in this country by the lack of
foresight shown with regard to immigrants in 1950-1960.
The Chinese have many admirable qualities and indeed have as good a right to be considered as the British of the East as we have to
considered the Japanese of the West but the admission of even
a quarter of the population of Honkong to this country
would create immense difficulties.
Taiwan, if it continues to exist, might take a number of refug refugees for an adecuate financial consideration. Have we been in touch with the Government of this island?
It is impossible to foresee for how long it will
be to the advantage of the Chinese Republic to tolerate this Colony but it would be prudent to m ke lans on the
assumption that it will want to take it over in something less than ten years timeThis is a non-party matter and I should be
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.