TNAG-1155-FCO40-1435-Visits-by-Members-of-Parliament-(MPs)-to-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 61

The organisation consisted of internal security companies of 169 men, consisting of 4 platoons or 4 sections. There were 33 companies in all. The platoon consisted of 41 men. There was also a light striking force

of half a company (72 half companies in all). The smallest Division was

a column of 8 men of which there were 320. The Police also had 40

Saracen APCs.

This gave a total of 33 IS companies, 72 striking force units and 230

columns. The Army also provided 23 companies for internal security. Mobilisation was in 4 stages.

Illegal Immigration

A threat since 1979, since when there had been 340,000 illegal immigrants. 190,000 of these had been arrested and repatriated and 152,000 stayed plus 200,000 legal immigrants. In addition there had been 100,000 Vietnamese

boat people of which some 11,000 were now left in the Colony. Repatriation of Chinese illegals had taken place since 1974: except those who reached a safe base. This safe base policy ended in 1980. In 1980 there had been 82,125 illegals and in 1981 this had dropped to 7531. In the first 6 months of 1982 the total was 3,776.

Illegals were 80% single men who had little education and were of little use

to Hongkong. They could not obtain work in the Colony without an identity

Legal immigration was now proceeding at some 55,000 a year.

card.

Scots Guards,. Port Stanley

The Commanding Officer being away, the Committee was met by the Second in

Command, Major J F Warren.

The role of the Scots Guards was first internal security and second to

counter aggression. The area of responsibility was Hongkong Island itself.

Each company took a tour of duty on the frontier for 6 weeks. The frontier force manned the watch towers, conducted ambushes, set up a quick reaction force on the dykes and conducted area sweeps. Illegals when captured were interrogated and then turned over to the Police. The last company on the border had caught 48 illegals in 1 month.

We visited the whole of Stanley Barracks including the married quarters and

talked to some of the wives of the 339 families accommodated in those

Barracks. Some were very happy; others felt rather isolated. The quarters were good but families could not afford to use the air conditioners because