THAT THE FEASIBILITY STUDY WAS CONDUCTED SOME SIX YEARS AGO
WITHOUT TAKHING ACHINTO ACCOUNT THE CHERNOBYL INCIDENT. THEY ALSO DOUBTED THE RELIABILITY OF THE REPORTS AS THEY WERE COMPILED BY THE GUANGDONG AUTHORITIES AND CLP WHO HAD A VESTED INTEREST #N THE
PROJECT. SOME PRESS COMMENTARIES ALSO CRITICISED THE JOINT VENTURE COMPANY FOR EXCUSHING SOME INFORMATION WHICH WAS CONSIDERED TO BE OF A COMMERCIALLY SENSITIVE NATURE OR WHICH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TREATED AS STATE SECRET. THE COMMENTS MADE BY INDIVIDUAL LEGCO
MEMBERS WERE ALSO WIDELY REPORTED MR. LEE YU-TAK SUGGESTED THAT
AN EVACUATION PLAN SHOULD BE DRAWN UP TO REMOVE LOCAL WORRIES: MR. RICHARD LA COMMENTED THAT THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT SIX YEARS
AGO AND THAT #T WAS DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE FROM THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE WHETHER THE DAYA BAY PROJECT WAS FEASIBLE: MR. WONG
PO-YAN WAS CONVINCED THAT THE DAYA BAY PLANT WAS ACCEPTABLE: MR.
DANIEL TSE CONCEDED THAT THERE WAS NO APPARENT NEED FOR EVACUATION
PLANS: AND MR. CONRAD LAM INSISTED THAT THE PROJECT SHOULD BE
SHELVED BECAUSE THERE WERE NO EVACUATION AND CONTINGENCY MEASURES.
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7. THE UMELCO DELEGATIONS TO EUROPE AND US/JAPAN REMAINED TO BE CENTRE OF PUBLIC ATTENTION. THE DEPARTURES AND TINERARMES OF THE EUROPE-BOUND DELEGATION (LED BY MISS MARINA TAM) AND THE US-BOUND DELEGATION (LED BY MR. ALLEN LEE) WERE EXTENSIVELY REPORTED. SOME CHINESE PAPERS ALSO REPRODUCED PART OF THE 200 QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED BY THE UMELCO DELEGATIONS. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE MISS MARIA TAM AND MR. ALLEN LEE REMITERATED THAT THE UMELCO GROUPS WOULD COLLECT
BALANCED INFORMATION ON NUCLEAR ENERGY AND THAT THE INFORMATION TO
BE COLLECTED WOULD BE ASSESSED OBJECTIVELY. MISS MARIA TAM WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE TRIPS WERE PURELY STUDY MISSIONS AND NO PROPOSALS OR CONCLUSIONS WOULD BE MADE ON THE DAYA BAY PROJECT. IN THIS CONNECTION, SOME PAPERS ALSO REPORTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING WHETHER TO COMMISSION A US CONSULTANCY FIRM, DAMES AND MOORE, FOR A PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF THE INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM THE LEGCO STUDY TRIPS.
8. ACCORDING TO HONG KONG STANDARD, THE LATEST ISSUE OF OUTLOOK WEEKLY** (AN INFLUENTIAL PUBLICATION REFLECTING THE VIEWS OF CHINESE LEADERS) REPORTED THAT CHINA WOULD SIGN THE CONTRACTS A MONTH AHEAD OF THE SCHEDULE, LEAVING THE UMELCO MEMBERS ONLY ABOUT ONE WEEK TO COMPLETE THEIR REPORTS ON THE NUCLEAR FACT-FINDING MISSIONS. THIS HAD CAUSED SOME CONCERN AMONG THE UMELCO MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. FORTUNATELY, AN AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE CLOSE TO NCNA QUICKLY CLARIFIED THAT THE CONTRACTS WOULD NOT BE SIGNED EARLIER THAN SCHEDULED AND THAT THERE WOULD BE SUFFUICHENT TIME FOR THE UMELCO MEMBERS TO COMPLETE THEIR REPORTS. IT WAS ALSO ENCOURAGING TO NOTE THAT THE CHINESE HAD MADE SOME EFFORTS TO ALLAY PUBLIC FEARS
*INCLUDING
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(1) TWO LEADING LEFT-WING PAPERS, TA KUNG AND WEN WET, PUBLISHED A SERIES OF SPECIAL ARTICLES EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON THE NUCLEAR
ENERGY:
Confidential
てい