TNAG-0757-FCO40-961-Strength-of-UK-armed-forces-stationed-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 251

布政司署

香港下亞

*** Our Ref.: SCR 6/57

报道

CONFIDENTIAL

YOUR REF. AUS(GS)46/78 (D/DS6/16/43/27

J Dromgoole Esq

AUS (GS)

Ministry of Defence

Main Building Whitehall

London SW1A 2HB

WEK

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

Аккова

2 MAR 1973

21

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

13th March, 1978

w Quitul

n Thompson

п

228/0

امین

284-3

22/3

Replacement RN Patrol Craft: Hong Kong

See (109

Thank you for your letter of 26th January in which you enclosed

a paper which summarized the significant conclusions of the Naval Staff Target and suggested a meeting in London in June/July to take the consideration of the replacement of the patrol craft a stage further. I hope you have not been inconvenienced by the length of time it has taken us to reply.

2.

As you have said, we had an opportunity to comment on the draft NST and Captain R L Garnons-Williams and I called on MOD(N) in mid-1977 to discuss certain points. We have been sent a copy of the final full version (22617/2/2). However, this did not cover our comments on the draft in all respects, We regard the paper forwarded by CBF to the Secretary of the Chiefs' of Staff Committee, under reference HK 66060/3 Jt Sec of 22nd February, 1977 as setting out our requirements. We realise that in putting these requirements forward in MOD(N) a rather different format may be required, but even so, we would not wish the essential elements of our February, 1977 position paper to be changed,

3.

We have three comments on the NST:

(1)

The Threat - There has been a tendency for the threat to be identified as involving incidents related to illegal immigrants and the HK based fishing fleet see paragraph 8. of NST. There is also reference in paragraph 1(b) of the summary NST 7015 as one of the two primary functions in peacetime being 'to support anti-smuggling patrols'. It may be that there is not substantial difference between us on this, but we have to take into account the possibility that any incident, not only due to illegal immigration, the fishing fleet or anti- smuggling might lead to confrontation with Chinese ships.

CONFIDENTIAL

2/(2)......

83