TABLED A MOTON HIN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CALLING FOR THE SHELVING OF THE DAYA BAY PROJECT FLEW TO HONG KONG ON 29 JUL AND HE WAS ON THE
SAME PLANE WITH MR. MARTIN LEE. THE VISHTING BRITISH MP, WHO
CLAIMED THAT HE WAS HAVING A PRIVATE VINSHIT IN HONG KONG, WAS NTERVIEWED BY RADIO 3. DURING THE INTERVIEW, HE ACCUSED THE
GOVERNMENT FOR IGNORING PUBLIC CONCERN OVER THE DAYA BAY PROJECT.
HE ALSO URGED THE ANTONUCLEAR GROUPS TO STEP UP THEIR CAMPANGN
AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.
4. SOME PAPERS REPORTED THAT THE IDEA OF HOLDING A REFERENDUM ON
WHETHER THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SHOULD BE BUILT WAS
MOOTED BY SOME LEGCO MEMBERS. HAT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE CHRISTAIN INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE, DR. L.K. DING, PLEDGED SUPPORT TO THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM. PROMINENT COVERAGE WAS GIVEN TO
THE ACTING GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT THAT THE REFERENDUM SHOULD BE
RULED OUT AS IT WAS NOT A SATISFACTORY WAY OF DEALING WITH SUCH A
COMPLICATED SUBJECT. THE MEDIA REPORTED THAT THE ACTING GOVERNOR
HAD STRESSED THAT THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WAS A CHINESE
PROJECT AND THAT IT WAS NOT FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE TO DECIDE WHETHER
IF SHOULD BE BUNLT. SEPARATELY, THE MEDIA ALSO REPORTED THE VIEW
EXPRESSED BY DR. PETER WESLEY SMITH THAT POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS
WOULD RULE OUT THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM.
5. THE ANTI-NUCLEAR GROUPS WERE NOT THE ONLY VOCAL PEOPLE ON THE
DAYA BAY ISSUE. A NEWLY ESTABLISHED GROUP COMPRISING 113 MEMBERS
(FROM DISTRICT BOARDS, URBCO, REGCO, ACADEMIC FIELDS AND VARIOUS
PROFESSIONS) HAD BEEN STARTING A CAMPAIGN IN A DIRECTION QUITE
DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE LAUNCHED BY THE ANTH-NUCLEAR GROUPS. THE
NEW GROUP PLACED AN ADVERTISEMENT ON THE NEWSPAPERS ON 4 AUGUST
ADVOCATING A SCHENTHEMC APPROACH TO THE DAY BAY ISSUE. IN THE
ADVERTISEMENT, THE GROUP DENOUNCED THE BLIND OPPOSITION TO THE
DAYA BAY PROJECT. IT STRESSED THAT NUCLEAR ENERGY WAS AN ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY AND IT WAS RIGTH FOR HONG KONG AND CHINA TO DEVELOP THIS
TECHNOLOGY: THAT IT WAS NECESSARY, FROM AN ECONOMIC POINT OF VIEW,
FOR HONG KONG TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR POWER: THAT THE PEOPLE IN HONG KONG
SHOULD GET BALANCED VIEWS AND HAVE OBJECTIVE ANALYSES ON THE DAYA
BAY #SSUE AND THAT THE SAFETY STANDARDS OF THE DAYA BAY PROJECT
SHOULD BE HIGHER THAN THE INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS. THE
GROUP ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WOULD LAUNCH A PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN TO
EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND WOULD ORGANISE STUDY MISSIONS TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO COLLECT NUCLEAR #NFORMATION. 4T WAS SAND THAT THE
ANTI-NUCLEAR GROUPS WERE WATCHING THIS DEVELOPMENT AS THEY TOOK THIS
AS A MOVE TO COUNTER THEMR ANTI-NUCLEAR CAMPAIGN.
6. THE FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORTS DEALING WITH SITE SELECTION, EQUIPMENT STUDY AND SYSTEM DESIGN, WHICH WERE DISTRIBUTED TO THE LEGCO MEMBERS ON 28 JULY, ATTRACTED DIVERSE COMMENTS. SOME PAPERS ("IN PARTICULAR THE LEFT-WING PRESS) WERE CONVINCED THAT THE
REPORTS HAD ALLAYED PUBLIC FEARS AND HAD REASSURED THE PUBLIC THAT
THE GOVERNMENT WAS RECEPTIVE TO THE REQUEST FOR A MORE OPEN GOVERNMENT. ON THE OTHER HAND, MANY PAPERS WERE CRITICAL OF THE FACT
Confidential
тнат