TNAG-1136-FCO40-1416-Address-by-Sir-Edward-Youde--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-the-L-1982 — Page 124

(b) Narcotics

123. This year we are facing one of the many challenges in the struggle against narcotics, As a result of two consecutive bumper opium grops in the Golden Triangle, there is now a more abundant supply of drugs. Although the Police and Customs have Beized moze drugs in the first half of 1982 than in the whole of 1981, prices of drugs at atreet level are lower now than they have been for six years. In consequence, the declining trends in drug addiction since 1974 were reversed last year. These are obviously worrying developmonts. Our consolation is that 12,500, or nearly one-third, of the 40,000 addicts on record are receiving various forms of treatment or aftercare every day, and the number of newly reported addicts between the age of 15 and 24, i.e, the most-at-risk group, has dropped from 722 in the latter half of 1981 to 591 in the first half of this

year.

(c) The Garrison

I

124.

This year HM Forces have been able to make good to sone extent the backlog of training which accumulated from 1979-1981 when they were so effectively employed in combatting illegal immigration both by land and by sea. The Forces are still very Buch committed on ouz borders where constant vigilance is required. The addition of a fifth battalion (2/7 Gurkha Rifles) has eased the strain imposed by this continuing task. These and other measures, being taken to atrengthen, modernise and accommodate the garrison are a measure of HMG's continuing commitment to Hong Kong ·

125.

(a) Illegal Immigration

The current. rate of illegal immigration remains at a fraction of what it was before the end of the "reach-base" The average daily number of arrests on entry

before the change in policy it was 250.

policy in 1980.

is now around 30;

/126. However