>
WE ARE QUITE CONFIDENT OF THE SAFETY OF MODERN NUCLEAR PLANTS.
IT HAS BEEN THIRTY-TWO YEARS SINCE THE FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT WAS
BUILT BY THE SOVIET UNION IN 1954 AND THERE ARE NOW A TOTAL OF
374 NUCLEAR PLANTS IN THE WORLD. HOWEVER, ONLY TWO DISASTROUS
ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED IN THE THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR PLANT
IN THE U.S. AND THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT IN THE USSR. OTHER
REACTORS HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS TOO, BUT THE CONSEQUENCES HAVE NOT BEEN GRAVE AND THE FREQUENCY IS LOW. AT PRESENT, THERE ARE 98 NUCLEAR PLANTS OPERATING IN THE U.S., 50 IN THE USSR, 44 FRANCE, 38 IN THE UK, 33 N JAPAN, 20 IN WEST GERMANY, 17 IN CANADA..... AND THERE ARE ALTOGETHER 159 NUCLEAR PLANTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN THE WORLD. PRESENTLY, 25 COUNTRIES AND TAIWAN ARE EQUIPPED WITH NUCLEAR PLANTS WHICH ARE IN OPERATION. BESIDES, NUCLEAR PLANTS ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 24 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING
CHINA. THE FACT THAT SUCH A LARGE NUMBER OF NUCLEAR PLANTS ARE
BUILT IN SO MANY COUNTRIES ILLUSTRATES PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE IN
THE PLANTS. WHY IS IT THAT PEOPLE OF HONG KONG SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY
LACKING IN CONFIDENCE IN THIS RESPECT? DOES IT MEAN THAT THE LIVES
OF HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE ESPECIALLY PRECIOUS? IS IT BECAUSE OUR
HEALTH IS LESS RESISTANT TO NUCLEAR WAVE OR BECAUSE WE ARE
SUFFERING FROM THE CONGENITAL SYNDROME OF LACK OF CONFIDENCE'?
THE ONLY REASON IS THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT AT ANY OF THE EXISTING NUCLEAR PLANTS THE PEOPLE NEARBY CAN ALWAYS EVACUATE THEMSELVES ELSEWHERE. THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG CAN ALSO EVACUATE THE PLACE WHERE THEY LIVE, BUT HONG KONG WILL THEN TURN INTO A DEAD CINTY. THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE.
ACTUALLY, A MODERNIZED NUCLEAR PLANT IS VERY SAFE AND THE CHANCE OF HAVING AN OUTBREAK OF MISHAPS IS VERY SLIM. EVEN IN THE EVENT OF AN OUTBREAK OF MISHAPS, THERE WILL BE MANY EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO REMEDY THE SITUATION, EVEN IF IT IS NOT EASY TO DO SO, THE
CASUALTIES WOULD NOT BE AS HEAVY AS IMAGINED. PEOPLE IN FAVOUR OF
NUCLEAR PLANTS POINTED OUT THE RADIOACTIVE MATTER LEAKED FROM THE
THREE MHLE ISLAND NUCLEAR PLANT IN THE U.S. WAS NOT WORTH MENTIONING BECAUSE THE EFFECT IT CAUSED TO THE PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY WAS
NO GREATER THAN THAT OF AN X-RAY EXAMINATION.
WE BELIEVE ALL THESE ARE FACTS. IF WE WERE THE INHABITANTS OF CHINA, WE WOULD NOT BE SO WORRIED ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NUCLEAR PLANT IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD. BESIDES, AN OUTBREAK OF MISHAPS IN A NUCLEAR PLANT IS A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE. EVEN IF THERE IS AN OUTBREAK OF MISHAPS, IT WILL NOT MEAN MUCH AS LONG AS WE ARE NOT KILLED INSTANTLY AND WE CAN EVACUATE OURSELVES
ELSEWHERE. WE OFTEN RIDE ON VEHICLES AND PLANES, AND THE CHANCES
OF MEETING WITH TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT OF
HAVING AN ACCIDENT IN THE NUCLEAR PLANT IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD. NEWSPAPERS ALWAYS CARRY NEWS ON AIR TRAFFIC ACCIDENT.
DOES IT MEAN THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE SCARED AND WILL NEVER
TRAVEL BY PLANE.
BUT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG CANNOT LIVE IN THE TERRITORY
ANY LONGER.
CONFIDENTIAL
Page 45Page 46