TNAG-0757-FCO40-961-Strength-of-UK-armed-forces-stationed-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 237

CONFIDENTIAL

Enter.

91.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

FAR 014/1

27 a, a ed

DIPLOMATIC REPORT No. 21/78

General Distribution

BRUNEI: ANNUAL REVIEW FOR 1977

BRUNEI

1 January, 1978

British High Commissioner at Bandar Seri Begawan to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

SUMMARY

Brunei remains a dynastic but durable Sultanate, with great oil wealth (shared with Shell) and few immediate internal problems. It cherishes the status quo whereby Britain insulates it from the outside world, and it readily pays for the useful British Gurkha battalion stationed in Brunei. The State is still apprehensive of Malaysia. There are other regional aspects (paragraphs 1–10).

(Confidential)

Sir,

General

Bandar Seri Begawan,

1 January, 1978.

Before coming here three years ago, I received chill warning from a pre- decessor: Whitehall and Brunei don't get on: sooner or later, you will come to grief between the two!" Although formally an Annual Review, this Despatch also traverses current major issues between Britain and Brunei which could have regional impact.

2. Early on, I learnt that not the least of the problems of Brunei was that its Constitutional status lay in the eye of the beholder. The UN choose to see Brunei in colonial terms, with Britain as the "Administering Power ". Whitehall rates

CC

Brunei as a Sovereign State in Treaty relationship with Britain". Brunei itself (and the State figures in reference books among the Dependent Territories) resists independence". The Sultan, who scorns UN "interference ", pleads that the State is not yet ready to vary the status quo. (Under this, Britain handles external affairs, and has a consultative defence rôle, and stations here--at Brunei expense- a British Army Gurkha battalion which also has a reinforcement rôle for Hong Kong.) The Sultan's plea clothes the apprehension of Malaysian intentions felt by the old-established dynasty which rules this small but hugely wealthy South East Asian Sultanate: apprehension felt, above all, by the Sultan's resolute father, the former Sultan, Sir Omar. The situation is anachronistic. But the anachronism has not yet disappeared for the asking.

}

CONFIDENTIAL

20962-21 10273-26

A