Britain Taking 10,000 Men From S.E. Asia

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31196, 21 October 1966, Page 11

Britain Taking 10,000 Men From S.E. Asia

(AZ. Press Association —Copyright/ LONDON, October 20. Britain is preparing the immediate withdrawal of 10,000 troops from South-east Asia to cut defence costs, the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Denis Healey, told the 1 louse of Commons yesterday.

Mr Healey said that nearly all of the men will come from North Borneo where they fought Indonesian infiltrators during President Sukarno’s confrontation campaign against Malaysia.

Mr Healey said that all these troops would be home by next April, and he was considering the possibility of pulling out more men after that. He spoke just before the departure of Mr George Thomson, Minister in charge of relations with Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, for talks today in Bonn on N.A.T.O. strategy and the cost of maintaining Britain’s N.AT.O. forces in Germany. Mr Healey told Parliament that the withdrawal of 10,000 men from South-east Asia will mean a foreign exchange saving of £lO million a year. He refused to give details on the future level of British forces in the world after the economy measure. The cuts are closely linked with the Government's attempts to slash foreign exchange costs to help Britain’s economic recovery. Mr Wilson has said that in

spite of the withdrawals of troops, Britain will still play a “world role” in South-east Asia. Britain has also been holding constant low-level consultations with Commonwealth countries, including Australia and New Zealand, on the

' future strength of her forces east of Suez. Asked whether British withdrawals east of Suez would ■ include the four battalions • now stationed in Hong Kong, i Mr Healey replied that all i the troops would come from ■ eastern Malaysia.