fikk 160/1
RODEIVED IN
16 JUN 1926
CONFIDENTIAL
03
137
The Baton
GRS 1200
CONFM-DENT-PAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1738
OF 050845Z JUNE 86
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
134
FURTHER TO PARAGRAPH ↳ OF OUR TELEGRAM NO. 1716 OF 4 JUNE 1986, WE PRODUCE BELOW FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF
THE EDITORIAL IN MING PAO:
**HONG KONG WOULD BECOME A DEAD CITY.
WHEN CHINA FIRST DECIDED TO BUILD A NUCLEAR PLANT HIN DAYA BAY,
THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG DID NOT SHOW MUCH CONCERN OVER THE
MATTER. THOUGH CERTAIN PEOPLE MENTIONED THE SAFETY PROBLEM, THE GENERAL PUBLIC FELT THAT DESPITE THE MANY NUCLEAR PLANTS IN MANY
PARTS OF THE WORLD, NO DISASTROUS ACCIDENTS HAD OCCURRED OVER THE PAST THIRTY YEARS. MOREOVER, WHILE THE THREE MILE ISLAND IN THE
U.S. HAD HAD A MAJOR ACCIDENT ONCE, THE CONSEQUENCE HAD NOT BEEN TOO SERIOUS. AND, WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, THE THREAT OF DANGER WOULD CORRESPONDINGLY BE MINIMISED. HOWEVER, IN THE
WAKE OF THE SUDDEN EXPLOSION OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT AN
UKRAINE, USSR IN THE LAST TEN DAYS OF APRIL WHICH RESULTED IN THE
SPREADING OF RADIOACTIVE FALLOUTS TO AS FAR AS WEST EUROPE, THE
DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT ISSUE HAS AROUSED AN UPROAR IN HONG KONG.
-
IT IS BECAUSE THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT IS ONLY 50 KM APART
FROM HONG KONG AND IT ONLY TAKES A DAY TO WALK TO THE SITE..IF THE
CHERNOBYL INCIDENT SHOULD OCCUR IN THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT AND
EVEN OF THE INCIDENT IS ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE, SURELY HONG KONG WILL BECOME A DEAD CITY IN A WEEK'S TIME AND THE PROSPERITY HONG
KONG NOW ENJOYS MAY NOT BE REVIVED TWENTY YEARS LATER:
BOTH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THOSE REPRESENTING THE
OFFICIAL VIEW HAVE LAND STRESS ON THE SAFETY OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT, SAYING THAT ITS DESIGN IS MUCH MORE ADVANCED THAN THAT OF THE SOVET UNION'S CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT AND THAT IT IS
UNLIKELY THAT A SIMILAR ACCIDENT WILL OCCUR. THEY ASK THE PEOPLE
OF HONG KONG TO PUT THEIR HEART AT EASE.
WE CANNOT PUT OUR HEART AT EASE ABSOLUTELY, NOR CAN WE PUT OUR
HEART AT EASE COMPLETELY.
CONFIDENTIAL
\WE