N.Z. may quit Singapore

Press, 21 May 1981, Page 6

N.Z. may quit Singapore

NZPA-Reuter Kuala Lumpur /The Minister of Defence (Mr Thomson) said in Kuala. Lumpur yesterday he wasproposing to his Government the withdrawal of New Zealand’s 800 troops based in Singapore. “It costs us a great deal more to maintain a battalion overseas than to maintain a battalion in New Zealand,” he told a news conference at the end of a four-day visit. He said that the millions of dollars saved could be used for more military exercises and more mutual defence programmes and would give the Armv more flexibility. New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Britain, and Australia are grouped under an 11-year-old five-Power defence arrangement ivhich they recently agreed to reactivate. Australia’s Defence Minis-

ter (Mr Killen) will be visiting Malaysia and Singapore earlyjnext month to discuss regional security' matters; including the gradual- phasing out of his country’s; Mirage squadrons from the area, .The 5 five Powers > last month held a big air. defence exercise; under the hew. programme of co-operatidn,land they plan a big maritime exercise, in the South China Sea next month followed by a land exercise in Australia later this year. .«• < ’ Mr 'Thomson said" he explained New Zealand’s position on the battalion during his talks with the Malaysian Government but added that, because of accommodation problems, he could not ’see the withdrawal happening before 1983. . >■■■■ -q, “This is our one regular battalion, the heart of the New Zealand Army, and to

have it so far away in so .costly a position I can do .-much better for. us all if I have it in New \,A New Zealand Government defence review in 1978 called for the return of the battalion.

The Australian withdrawal of its two. Mirage squadrons from Malaysia would not have, any adverse effect on Malaysia’s air defence, its Deputy Defence Minister (Mr Abu Hhssari Omar) told the news conference. . . .

He said the gradual withdrawal of the Mirages was expected to dovetail with the arrival of . Malaysia’s own Skyhawks;’'; .• ‘ • There, was rid real n£ed fpr the ; j>hysieal presence 'of foreign . forces in Malaysia ; whentheffive-Power’defence arrangement and its.’ in-... tegrated air defence system would be as effective without 7 them.