412
GRS 850
CONFIDENTINAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2579
OF O9O5OOZ AUGUST 86
CONFIDENTIAL
AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
MKK 600/1
TOP COPY Q DIST?
HINOF PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PARIS, DT4
*NFO PRIORITY DEPT OF ENERGY, BTC HONG KONG
(102)
OUR TELNO 2526 : NUCLEAR SAFETY : CHINA.
PARAGRAPH 4 OF OUR TUR (NOT TO ALL) HINTED AT A POSSIBLE SHIFT
IN PUBLIC OPINION. THIS IS TAKING PLACE BUT IT IS EARLY DAYS AND
COULD SHIFT BACK AGAIN. HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME SIGNS THAT THE
PRESSURES BEING EXERTED BEHIND THE SCENES BY US AND OTHERS ARE
BEGINNING TO SHOW SOME RESULTS. MOREOVER SANER VOICES IN THE
COMMUNITY ARE NOW SPEAKING OUT THOUGH THE HINSPIRATION FOR THIS IS
NOT ENTIRELY HOME GROWN. WHILE DAYA BAY HS STILL A MAJOR TOPIC
OF INTEREST COMMENTS GENERALLY MORE SOBER AND LESS EMOTIONAL .
THERE IS ALSO A GROWING ACCEPTANCE OF THE FACT THAT FOR WHATEVER
REASON THE CHINESE ARE GOING TO PRESS ON WITH THE PROJECT REGARDLESS.
2. IN THE THIRD WEEK IN JULY WE BEGAN TO SEE A NUMBER OF CNS REPORTS
ABOUT NUCLEAR SAFETY AND DAYA BAY AND A SERIES OF SPECIAL ARTICLES
ON THESE SUBJECTS IN THE LOCAL LEFT WING PAPERS. WE NOW HAVE THE
APPROACH FROM NCNA REGARDING THE PROPOSED EXHIBITION BY THE NUCLEAR
ASSOCIATION OF CHINA. TO THIS EXTENT, THE CHINESE SEEM TO HAVE GOT
THE MESSAGE THAT THEY MUST DO SOMETHING IN HONG KONG. AN NCNA SOURCE
HAS SAID THAT CHINA WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IN HONG KONG ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN CHINA AND THE SAFETY
STANDARDS ADOPTED. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THE CHINESE
PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORT WILL BE EFFECTIVE 'N THIS SOPHISTICATED
BUT VOLATILE COMMUNITY.
3. IN RECENT WEEKS A FEW LONE VOICES MAINLY ACADEMICS (LOCAL AND
OVERSEAS) HAVE MADE SOME MODERATE SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS ABOUT
NUCLEAR ENERGY. ON 4 AUGUST A GROUP COMING MAINLY FROM DISTRICT
BOARDS, URBAN COUNCIL, AND REGIONAL COUNCIL HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HILL-
INFORMED OVER-REACTION OF THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND WERE LAUNCHING A
CAMPAIGN TO HELP THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THE DAYA BAY ISSUE HN
A SCIENTIFIC AND RATIONAL MANNER. IN AN ADVERTISEMENT PLACED IN
SOME CHINESE NEWSPAPERS, THE GROUP STRESSED THE BENEFITS OF NUCLEAR
ENERGY BOTH AS AN ADVANCED FORM OF TECHNOLOGY AND AS A PREREQUISITE
FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF PROSPERITY.
CONFIDENTIAL