U.K. may withdraw Singapore troops

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33092, 6 December 1972, Page 20

U.K. may withdraw Singapore troops

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, December 5. The British Government will withdraw its 1500 troops from Singapore and Malaysia if Australia’s Prime Minister (Mr Whitlam) decides to pull out his forces there, the “Daily Express” reported today.

The “Express” defence correspondent, Chapman Pincher, said that British defence chiefs decided months ago that they could not continue to run the defence pact with Singapore and Malaysia without Australian help. But he added that the Royal Navy and Royal Air Forca would be prepared to continue their routine reconnaissance and flag-showing operations in the area. Pincher said that, meanwhile, Britain and the United States would exert diplomatic pressure on Mr Whitlam to remain in the A.N.Z.A.U. defence pact signed last year between Britain, Australia and New Zealand to help maintain stability in the Far East. POLITICAL PROBLEM He wrote that withdrawal of British forces would create a political problem for Mr Heath. This was because he in-

sisted that the British presence in the Far East was essential; while the Labour leaders wanted to pull out. But withdrawal would save

Britain £7.5m a year just when the Government was deeply concerned about rising prices, the “Daily Express” report said. It concluded by saying that there were currently no fears of any attack on Singapore or on Malaysia apart from Communist activity in the north. In Wellington last night the Prime Minister-elect (Mr Kirk) said he had no comment to make on the report. Mr Kirk said only that he noted that it cited "defence chiefs.”