TNAG-2676-FCO40-3873-Hong-Kong-garrison-withdrawal-plan-1993 — Page 111

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CONFIDENTIAL

HK.A 063/1

dere (Béo stall should be QU to

be more careful in Elling to the press.

FROM: R A J Bunten

Hong Kong Dept

DATE: 26 May 1993

CRA 26/

CC:

Mr Fry, FED Miss Everett, News Dept

Mr Dix, LAD

'X' is infuriating. I hope the Paul's

Ahr Pant's confidence iswell placed. 26/5

Mr Morris

Mr Ham

DEPLOYMENT OF A GURKHA BATTALION TO BELIZE

1. After discussions with you and Mr Hum yesterday I telephoned Mr Howard of SEC(O) (C) in the MOD. As he was in a meeting I left a message to say that while we agreed that the Chinese should be informed of the six-month deployment of a Gurkha battalion from Hong Kong to Belize on 27 May, we would prefer public announcement to be delayed until 1 June. This was in part because there was no EXCO meeting in Hong Kong until then and in part because we wished to give the Chinese more than one day's notice of the announcement.

2. I spoke to Mr Howard today and he said that he had received my message and had discussed it with a visiting team from HKG. They felt that it would be sufficient to inform EXCO by an information note on 27 May. Additionally an officer in the Hong x Kong garrison had now leaked the news of the deployment. They

wished therefore to get the press release on the record as soon as possible to avoid inaccurate press speculation.

3.

I spoke to Mr Paul in UKREP JLG. He was relaxed about these arrangements. He felt that his interlocutor Luo was unlikely to question him too closely about the deployment. fact that families and a rear party would remain in Hong Kong would reassure the Chinese that this was only a temporary

measure.

The

4. I think we should refer any press enquiries on the deployment to the MOD. I suspect that the UK press will be more interested in what the MOD intend to do with the battalion of 3 Para who would have been going to Belize. We have amended the defensive press brief for Mr Goodlad's visit pointing out the temporary nature of the deployment and the saving to HKG.

Lasbut

RAJ Bunten

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