TNAG-2677-FCO40-3874-Hong-Kong-garrison-withdrawal-plan-1993 — Page 289

RESTRICTED

ankmard ||

cust.

him and not with either of the Fermanent Secretaries at MinDef. I said I was grateful to have this clarification and that his request, in any case, suited us very well; he did not need me to tell him how difficult it was trying to deal with Abdul Rahman Karim. Dato Alimin simply raised his eyes towards heaven and said he quite understood. In future conversation we agreed on the following action to help improve Istana/Garrison relations:

a) I would ask Lt Col Collett to bring his successor to

meet Dato Alimin as part of their hand-over programme in July;

b)

c)

I would also arrange for Major Eddie Cook to call on Dato Alimin at a convenient time, preferably during August; and

We should plan for Dato Alimin and for Pehin Badaruddin to be invited to pay a visit to the Garrison for a briefing on its own work and that of TTB. Neither of them had ever visited the Garrison although both were concerned with military/Garrison issues. Dato Alimin said, however, that he did not think either he nor Pehin Badaruddin would want to be caught up in The Sultan's proposed visit to the Garrison later this year.

4. Finally, Dato Alimin said that he did not want to become involved in the minutiae of Garrison activities. His objective was simply to maintain UK/Bruneian defence relations at the best possible level and to ensure that the position of the Garrison was fully protected and maintained. It was for this reason only that he thought it prudent to have some more direct relationship with the Garrison than had hitherto been the case.

5. I shall be seeing Lt Col Collett in Bandar shortly and will discuss with him how best to take matters forward. Dato Alimin is, in my experience, invariably cooperative, helpful and friendly. It will do no harm, and possibly some good, to have him take a positive interest in Garrison matters. This

arrangement also, very usefully, absolves us of having to battle our way through MinDef.

8 June 1993

CC

Allie

A Sindall

Bandar Seri Begawan

/Brigadier

RESTRICTED