TNAG-0937-FCO40-1156-Visits-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-th-1980 — Page 184

CONFIDENTIAL

MOD draft, including

Governor's comments

RECORD OF A MEETING BETWEEN THE DEFENCE SECRETARY AND THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AT 1500 ON WEDNESDAY 9 JANUARY 1980

Present:

The Rt Hon Francis Pym MP

Secretary of State for Defence

Mr D B Omand

APS/Secretary of State

His Excellency Sir Murray

Maclehose

Governor of Hong Kong

INFANTRY IN HONG KONG

1. The Secretary of State invited the Governor to give his impressions of the effectiveness of short-term reinforcements in stemming illegal immigration into Hong Kong, and of the impact of measures taken by the Chinese Government. The Governor explained that the reinforcements had been invaluable in the short- term in helping to control the situation. The rate of illegal immigration was continuing to fluctuate and there had been a rise just before the New Year but this seemed to be subsiding. The liberalising reforms being made by the Chinese Government including greater freedom of movement within China would tend to make them reluctant to impose continuing severe controls themselves. The Secretary of State said that as he had explained at their first meeting in June last year, he had every sympathy with the Hong Kong Government in their efforts to stem illegal immigration. Neverthe- less he had felt obliged to stress then and had to repeat now his great concern over the strains on the defence budget and on defence manpower. The Government's economic policies were well directed but time was needed to deal with what were long standing problems. Since they last met it had been decided to cut public expenditure again, cash limits were being rigorously applied and he was himself committed to a drive for economies in the defence budget. The provision of the monitoring force in Rhodesia was adding to our manpower constraints. Continuing the Secretary of State said that he now wanted to look beyond the question of short-term emergency reinforcements to the best longer term level of security forces, including police in Hong Kong. Was the control of illegal immi- gration for example a proper job in the long term for the British Army?

2. The Governor said that in his view there was bound to be a continuing division of roles between the Armed Forces and the police in Hong Kong. The border was manned on the Chinese side by their soldiers. The task of observation in uninhabited areas, laying of

CONFIDENTIAL

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