FOURTHLY, THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE CIVIC EDUCATION AND ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO VISIT NUCLEAR PLANTS AND THIS HAD SUCCESSFULLY PEMOVED PUBLIC FEARS.
PROMINENT COVERAGE WAS ALSO GIVEN TO THE VISIT TO THE BUGEY TRAINING CENTRE. MISS MARIA TAM, THE LEADER OF THE WELCO GROUP, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THERE WERE FEW OBJECTIONS WHEN THE
BUGEY PLANT WAS FIRST MOOTED IN 1965 BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THERE FELT THAT THE NUCLEAR POWER STATION WOULD SPING THEM PROSPERITY AND JOBS. MISS TAM ALSO CLARIFIED THAT THE ACCIDENT AT THE DUGEY PLANT IN 1984 (WHICH WAS ALLEGED TO BE A NEAR DISASTER ON THE · SCALE OF THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT) HAD BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THE JOINT VENTURE COMPANY BEFORE THE DELEGATION LEFT FOR. EUROPE.
6. THE RETURN OF THE EUROPE-BOUND DELEGATION WAS GIVEN PROMINENT COVERAGE BY THE MEDIA. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE LEGCO DELEGATES FOUND THEIR MISSION A WORTHWHILE EXERCISE. THE DELEGATION HAD
OBTAINED PLENTY OF INFORMATION ON THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THE DAYA BAY PLANT. INDEED, MOST OF THE 200 QUESTIONS THE DELEGATION BROUGHT WITH THEM TO EUROPE HAD BEEN ANSWERED AND THE FRENCH HAD PROMISED TO PROVIDE WRITTEN ANSWERS TO THE REMAINING QUESTIONS. MISS TAM STRESSED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE DELEGATION WAS TO
INVESTIGATE AND NOT TO MAKE A CONCLUSION. SHE ENVISAGED THE REPORTS COMPILED BY HER TEAM AND THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED STATES/JAPAN WOULD BE MADE PUBLIC IN SIX WEEKS' TIME. MEANWHILE, THE PRESS COMMENTAPIES CONTINUED ARGUING WHETHER THE UNELCO DELEGATIONS WOULD SERVE A USEFUL PURPOSE. SOME PAPERS (IN PARTICULAR THE LEFT WING. PRESS) COMMENDED THE UMELCO DELEGATIONS FOR MAKING AN OBJECTIVE INVESTIGATION, OTHERS (SUCH AS THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL AND MING PAO) MAINTAINED THAT THE LEGCO STUDY MISSIONS WERE PURELY A PUBLIC RELATIONS EXERCISE TO COUNTER PUBLIC PRESSURE.
7. THE UMELCO DELEGATION TO THE UNITED STATES/JAPAN, LED BY MR. ALLEN LEE, ALSO DOMINATED THE MEDIA DURING THE WEEK UNDER REVIEW. THE MEDIA REPORTED THAT THE DELEGATION HAD VISITED THE CALVERT CLIFFS NUCLEAR PLANT IN MAPYLAND AND TALKED TO THE RESIDENTS THERE. THE DELEGATES WERE TOLD THAT THE PLANT HAD SAVED ALMOST 30 BILLION HONG KONG DOLLARS IN FUEL COSTS DURING ITS 11 YEAPS OPERATION. MR. ALLEN LEE TOLD THE PRESS THAT HE WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE OPERATION, SECURITY AND SAFETY MEASURES AT CALVERT. IN THIS CONNECTION, MP. LEE CRITICISED OP. WALTEP PATTERSON FOR MISLEADING THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG INTO THINKING THAT SECURITY OF NUCLEAR PLANTS WAS POOR AND THEY COULD EASILY HAVE RADIATION LEAKS. MR. LEE WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE US SAFETY STANDARDS SUGGESTED THAT NO EVACUATION PLAN WOULD PE NEEDED FOR AREAS 16-30 KILOMETRES FROM A NUCLEAP PLANT. THERE WAS HOWEVER A CONTINGENCY PLAN WICH INCLUDED ARRANGEMENTS PROTECTING PEOPLE FROM CONTAMINATION OF FOOD AND WATER IN THE EVENT OF A MUCLEAR ACCIDENT. TURNING TO THE TRIP TO JAPAN, THE MEDIA HIGH- LIGHTED THAT A TOKYO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED OFFICIAL TOLD THE DELEGATION THAT NUCLEAR POWER WAS DIFFERENT FROM NUCLEAR BORS. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE REALISED THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOP MUCLEAR POVER IN VIEW OF THE INADEQUATE ENERGY SUPPLY.
3 CONFIDENTIAL
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