TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 54

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5. AS SEEN FROM HERE, A SIXTH PATROL CRAFT (PERHAPS ISLAND CL IS ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE TO AVOID SERIOUSLY WEAKENING OUR ABILITY TO DEAL WITH BOTH THE CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AND THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEMS AT THE SAME TIME. YOU AND MOD MAY THINK THAT A FRIGATE ALSO WOULD BE DESIRABLE IN VIEW OF ITS GREATER ABILITY TO MAINTAIN PROLONGED PATROLS IN THE SEA AREA OUTSIDE HONG KONG WATERS AND TO PROVIDE A WIDE RANGING SURVEILLANCE

OF APPROACHING SHIPS BY RADAR AND POSSIBLY HELICOPTER.

6. THE NAVAL REINFORCEMENT IS AN IMMEDIATE NEED SINCE THE INFLUX BY SEA IS ALREADY AT UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS WHEREAS ON LAND THE CRUNCH, IF IT COMES, IS, UNLIKELY TO BE FOR TWO OR THREE MONTHS,

7. FINALLY, CONSIDERATION OF THE LEVEL OF FORCES HERE CANNOT DISREGARD THE UNCERTAINTY LIKELY IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SINO- VIETNAMESE WAR, ALTHOUGH HOSTILITIES NOW SEEM TO BE COMING TO AN 2ND, TENSION IS BOUND TO CONTINUE. AND, WITH IT, SOVIET NAVAL MOVEMENTS IN THE AREA, WITHOUT WISHING TO EXAGGERATE THE POINT, I SUGGEST YOU BEAR IN MIND THAT IF THE DEPLOYMENT OF A FRIGATE WERE DECIDED ON AS A MAJOR ANTI-IMMIGRANT MEASURE, IT WOULD ALSO PRODUCE A BONUS IN THE FORM OF REASSURANCE TO THE POPULATION OF HONG KONG DURING AN UNEASY PHASE, IF, HOWEVER, A FRIGATE IS NOT POSSIBLE, SOME REASSURANCE COULD STILL BE GIVEN BY INCLUDING HONG KONG IN THE PROGRAMME OF THE RN GROUP DUE TO VISIT SINGAPORE IN OCTOBER. ON OUR SUGGESTION THIS PROPOSAL WAS RECENTLY PUT TO MOD BY CBF BUT TURNED DOWN. I HOPE THIS WILL NOW BE RECONSIDERED. EVEN IF THE WHOLE GROUP COULD NOT COME HERE IT WOULD STILL BE HELPFUL IF ONE SHIP WAS DETACHED TO VISIT, AND POSSIBLY REMAIN FOR A WHILE IN, HONG KONG.

MACLEHOSE

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