TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 8

CONFIDENTIAL

4:04.

Mr Simone, SEAD

67

ра

23/12/

RECOND IN RATTANY INC.

2 3 APR 1979

Act. Taken

BRUNEI

1.

INDEX

по

£25.4

I called on Mr Dromgoole in the Ministry of Defence yesterday to discuss reinforcement questions in preparation for my visit to Hong Kong. Mr Dromgoole said that he would A be replying in due course to Mr Murray's letter of 22 March.

But we should know in advance that the Ministry of Defence would be strongly opposed to "borrowing" the Brunei battalion in order to reinforce Hong Kong (paragraph 8 of Mr Murray's letter). He recalled that the FCO had been reluctant to agree to the removal of a helicopter squadron from Brunei as recently as two months ago: had the situation changed so much in that short time? The Ministry of Defence also valued the training opportunities which Brunei provided.

B.

2. Mr Dromgoole added that the Ministry of Defence accepted an obligation to provide additional troops for Hong Kong if the need arose. But they would find them from the UK or Germany rather than Brunei.

11 April 1979

выверни

R JT McLaren

Hong Kong and General Department

cc Mr Quantrill

ม

Mr Watkins, Defence Department

Tow.

1

agree Days wit

bo nod if they don't want to m

1.94 is 4

is a b

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in

Bennai Is

хотрати

ċ. this. Under thes

the healin

M.K. but would ruiter look is Gamay for

exchange

of

lither

x. Me

Gurkha battalion Hay

are able to

Lan

14

Buni gurkhed.

Brunei is shiny, as

в крановят

2. We wanted the helinglis

okkowite Ike Gakhar the + to 287th would be gravely disadvantaged,

and the Sullin would haw ben crops.

CONFIDENTIAL