ENG-1980 — Page 250

15

The Armed Services

and Auxiliary Services

Qudo wga

和三

「輔軍

隊助

ANTI-ILLEGAL immigration operations, in support of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, continued to be the principal task of the Armed Forces in 1980. For the second year in succession, deployment of the forces was kept at a high level all year and reinforcements were necessary to strengthen the garrison.

F

The Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force are all represented in the Hong Kong garrison, which at present comprises five Royal Navy patrol craft, a Gurkha engineer regiment, a Gurkha signals regiment, one United Kingdom and three Gurkha infantry battalions, one Army helicopter squadron equipped with Scout helicopters, and one Royal Air Force squadron of Wessex helicopters.

The Armed Services are stationed in Hong Kong to provide support for the civil au- thorities in maintaining security, stability and confidence. They are under the overall command of the Commander British Forces, who advises the Governor on matters affecting the security of Hong Kong and is also responsible to the Chief of Defence Staff in London.

The size and composition of the garrison, and the government's contribution towards its cost, are determined by an agreement between the Hong Kong and United Kingdom governments known as the Defence Costs Agreement (DCA). In the latter part of 1979 a thorough re-appraisal of the size and composition of the garrison was undertaken, by the Hong Kong Government and Headquarters British Forces, in the light of developments in Hong Kong since the signing of the last DCA in 1976.

Negotiations with the British Ministry of Defence were then held in 1980 to increase the size of the garrison from four to five battalions and to provide for additional helicopters and other support units. A more detailed costing of the garrison was also undertaken and arrangements were agreed on by which the cost could be regularly updated. These negotia- tions were successfully concluded in October when a new Defence Costs Agreement was signed.

The agreement will come into effect on April 1, 1981, and will run for seven years with provision for extensions of five years. The Hong Kong contribution will continue to be 75

per cent of the cost. The additional battalion will be a Gurkha battalion in the first in- stance, units of which will be formed progressively until the full battalion comes into service in early 1982.

Naval and air reinforcements of one fast patrol boat, two hovercraft and three Scout helicopters - provided to stem the dramatic increase in illegal immigration from China in 1979 -- remained throughout 1980. A reinforcement infantry battalion from the United Kingdom and additional infantry companies from the Gurkha battalion stationed in Brunei, strengthened the garrison for various periods.