TNAG-0852-FCO40-1062-Visits-of-Royal-Navy-ships-to-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 42

政司署

CONFIDENTIAL

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

076/15:57

香港下亞畢道

**** Our Ref.: (113) in CR 90/1486/59 II

Икк

來函檔號 YOUR REF.:

10 JUL 1979

Mr. R. J. T. McLaren

No

10/17

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Hong Kong & General Department

London SW1A 2AH

ENGLAND

2

25th June, 1979

nha

Ма собеззі

Mr Murray

वई जई

M walkin's (Defence )) SEVAT)

Дель Новий

Earlier this year we heard that a group of RN ships would be in the region calling at Singapore in October on their return to the U.K. from Australia and the Pacific. We made some tentative enquiries of HQBF whether the group, or one or two ships of it, might come to Hong Kong but after consultation with MOD were told that any changes in the deployment would involve major disruption. At the time we did not pursue our proposal,

Since then there have, of course, been significant changes including the reinforcement of the Garrison and a substantial increase in the number of refugees coming to Hong Kong from Vietnam.

2.

༡..

3. It is not easy to predict what the situation might be when these ships are in the area, but obviously there might be operational reasons why it would be helpful to have one or two of the ships visiting Hong Kong for a short period. Alternatively circumstances might be such that the fact that they were in Singapore on their way home rather than in Hong Kong might give rise to criticism locally.

We thought that you ought to know of the exchange which we had in case we need to pursue this further nearer the time.

4.

houn

Wer

(L. M. Davies)

Secretary for Security

CONTENTIAL