Colonial Office and Commonwealth Office: Far Eastern Department and successors: Registered...

This series contains records of the Far Eastern Department relating to British colonial possessions in Far East Asia, covering Malaya, the Malay Federation and Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, North Borneo, Hong Kong and Sarawak, and its successors dealing with Hong Kong only. Amongst the wide variety of subjects covered are social, economic and constitutional development, the Malay Emergency, refugees, education and immigration policy.

For later correspondence relating to Hong Kong see FCO 40

• Colonial Office, Defence, Intelligence and Hong Kong Department, 1963-1965
• Colonial Office, Far Eastern Department, 1954-1963
• Colonial Office, Hong Kong and West Indian Department 'C', 1965-1966
• Commonwealth Office, Hong Kong and West Indian Department 'C', 1966-1967

From 2001 Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Topics

Refugees

International

Asia

Migration

The Far Eastern Department of the Colonial Office was established in 1954 by merging the South East Asia Department and the parts of the Hong Kong and Pacific Department that dealt with Hong Kong. The new department initially handled business relating to Hong Kong, the Colombo Plan, remaining war claims in the region, the work of the Commissioner-General for the United Kingdom in South East Asia and residual business relating to the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei. Following the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the Far Eastern Department was abolished. Business relating to Hong Kong passed to the Defence, Intelligence and Hong Kong Department, which continued to utilise the existing FED file series for work relating to Hong Kong.

A further reorganisation in 1965 saw the creation of the Hong Kong and West Indian Department 'C', dealing with matters relating to Hong Kong and British Honduras, and this arrangement continued after the formation of the Commonwealth Office until a separate Hong Kong Department was created in 1967.