Kohima Camp or Kohima Barracks as it was officially described () in
Tai Po Tsai
Tai Po Tsai () is an area and a village, clustering in a small plain around Clear Water Bay Road in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, Sai Kung District, Hong Kong.
Geography
Tai Po Tsai is located northeast of Tseung Kwan O New Town on the east mid s ...
north of
Clear Water Bay Peninsula :''The Chinese name'' 清水灣半島 ''should not be confused with Oscar by the Sea, a private housing estate in Tseung Kwan O.''
Clear Water Bay Peninsula (), is a peninsula in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. The peninsula separates Junk Bay fr ...
was the site of a proposed new army barracks to house an additional British infantry battalion to be stationed in Hong Kong following a careful review of the needs of Hong Kong which had taken place over 1980/81. The purpose of the British Hong Kong garrison and of its reinforcement by an additional infantry battalion was intended to demonstrate the British Government's commitment to the integrity and the security of Hong Kong in the run up to 1997. The land acquisition and construction works for the barracks were to be undertaken by the Hong Kong Government. Under the Hong Kong Defence Costs Agreement signed in 1981, the Hong Kong Government was required to bear 75% of the costs of maintaining the British garrison. The plans to introduce an additional infantry battalion and to complete the construction of the barracks were cancelled in 1984 following the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Future of Hong Kong. The land became the site of the new
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 1986.
Before the construction of the university,
The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the largest scouting organisation in Hong Kong. Scout training was first introduced in Hong Kong in 1909 and 1910 by the Protestant based Boys' Brigade, Chums (paper), Chums Scout Patrols and British Boy Sco ...
made use of the camp as the site for the Hong Kong Diamond Jubilee
Jamboree
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.
History
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-three other W ...
for the 75th anniversary of Hong Kong Scouting between 27December 1986 and 1January 1997.
Name
The camp was named after
Kohima, a town close to the eastern border of
India. In 1944 the
Imperial Japanese Army failed in an offensive operation at the
Battle of Kohima
The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Imperial Japan, Japanese Operation U-Go, U-Go offensive into British Raj, India in 1944 during the World War II, Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June ...
, which marked the limit of the
Empire of Japan.
References
{{coord, 22.3367, 114.2651, display=title
Military of Hong Kong under British rule
Tai Po Tsai