CONFIDENTIAL
OVERSEAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON NUCLEAR PLANTS WAS A WRONG
PRA-ORITY.
8. IN WIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO THE UMELCO FACT-FINDING
DELEGATIONS, MISS MARIA TAM URGED THAT NO CONTRACTS SHOULD BE
SIGNED BEFORE THE LEGCO DELEGATIONS RETURNED FROM THE TRIPS. HER VIEW WAS ECHOED MY MR. PANG CHUN-HOK, DR. CONRAD LAM, DR. RICHARD
LAK AND DR. CHIU HIN-KWONG. INDEED, DR. CONRAD LAM ARGUED
THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WITHDRAW SUPPORT FROM THE PROJECT IF
SUBSEQUENTLY THE GENERAL OPINION WAS STILL AGAINST THE CONSTRUCT PON
OF THE NUCELAR POWER PLANT.
9. THE SAFETY ASPECTS OF THE DAYA BAY PROJECT WAS MENTIONED BY MOST
OF THE UNOFFICIALS. AMONG THEM, MR. HUN YIIN-FAT, PROFESSOR C.K.
POON. MR. MARTIN LEE, MRS. RUTA FAN, MR. S.L. CHAN AND MR. NGAN
SHU-KIT EMPHASISED THAT HUMAN ERROR WAS THEIR MAIN CONCERN. TWO ''EXPERTS'', MR. CHENG HON-KWAN AND PROFESSOR C.K POON, ALSO CHALLENGED THE 10-KM EVACUATION ZONE CONCEPT. THE GENERAL VIEW WAS THAT HKNIC AND OVERSEAS EXPERTS SHOULD PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN THE
DAY-TO-DAY OPERATION OF THE PLANT. ON THE MONITORING OF THE PROJECT, SEX MEMBERS (DR. CHU HIN-KWONG, MR. CHENG HON-KWAN, MRS. RUTA FAN, MR. S.L. CHEN, MR. NGAN SHIN-KIT AND MR. ANDREW WONG) FAVOURED THE SETTING UP OF AN INDEPENDENT COMMITTEE WITH HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVES AND OVERSEAS EXPERTS SINTTING ON INT.
10. THE DEBATE WAS EXTENSIVELY REPORTED IN THE PAPERS. MOST PAPERS HEADLINED THEIR STORES THAT THE MAJORITY OF MEMBERS HAD CALLED FOR A POSTPONEMENT OF THE PROJECT. NEVERTHELESS, ONLY FOUR CHINESE NEWSPAPERS COMMENTED ON THE DEBATE IN THEIR EDITORIALS. (HK DALY NEWS, THN TIN DAILY NEWS, EXPRESS AND WAH KU YAT PAO) THE GIST OF THEIR COMMENTARIES HIS AS FOLLOWS -
(B) HK DALY NEWS A GREAT NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL LEGCO MEMBERS SPOKE ON THIS SUBJECT, THUS REFLECTING THE PUBLIC CONCERN ON THE DAYA BAY ISSUE. THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE PROVIDED A USEFUL FORUM FOR LEGCO MEMBERS TO EXCHANGE WHEWS ON THE CONTROVERSIAL DAYA BAY
MISSUE AND HELPED TO ELIMINATE ANY BEBAS ON THE ISSUE.
(***) TEAN TIN DAILY NEWS
M
AT LEAST TWO UNOFFICIALS SUGGESTED
THAT THE PROJECT SHOULD BE SHELVED. CONCERN HAS HOWEVER EXPRESSED ON TWO POIFTS :
-3- CONFIDENTIAL