TNAG-2675-FCO40-3872-Hong-Kong-garrison-withdrawal-plan-1993 — Page 79

GOVERMENT HOUSE HONG KONG.

WED 14 APR 93 09:32

PG.03

2

SECRET

Governor's visit to London. 3 - 17 April 1993

Garrison withdrawal and defence costs

Points to make with the Defence Secretary

*

Defence costs in Hong Kong must go down in real terms each year from now. Otherwise, see difficulty in maintaining LegCo support for the Defence Costs Agreement (DCA).

Main day to day role of the garrison now is to provide a visible reminder of sovereignty and to support the marine police in dealing with

smuggling/incursions. Garrison also needs sufficient forces to relieve the police on the border in the unlikely event of an IS crisis. But hard to see any other role.

Arguable whether in-place forces of the present size are needed.

MOD's 1993 review of the garrison should

#

look critically at ways to speed up withdrawal

be completed as a matter of urgency

involve Hong Kong fully.

Understand that you will be writing soon proposing a policy framework for the

review.

If Mr Rifkind raises the idea of early withdrawal of one battalion:

Welcome the idea. Propose it is studied further as a matter of urgency.]

(Note: FCO have told us that the framework paper has been held up because MOD Ministers have asked staff to consider a more radical option involving the early withdrawal of one battalion in order to help ease pressure on British forces arising from Bosnia commitments. They have asked us not to reflect knowledge of this idea back to MOD.)

SECRET