LO
SEP 05 '86 15:13 TIB(0OU) HK GOVT Į
Wen Wei Po, commenting on the report on nuclear' safety prepared by Legco member, asked why the member did not join the Legco fact-finding delegations so that their report would be more complete. The paper drew attention to the vast discrepancy in the evacuation areas mentioned in the missions' report and the one prepared by the Legco member. It wondered whether the expert advocating a 30-mile -evacuation area was in fact an expert like Walter Patterson.
On the economic viability of the nuclear plant, Sing Pao said that. while coal and oil could be exhausted one day, nuclear energy was unlimited. The paper said that if oil prices were at a reasonable level, nuclear power would definitely be cheaper than conventionally-fired power.
Wah Kiu Yat Po said that by inviting the Legco delegations to visit Peking, China would not give an impression that it was ignoring public opinion in HK while anti-nuclear sentiments would have the opportunity to calm down.
Ching Po described the Legco nuclear report as a useful document and hoped that the authorities concerned would give it due consideration. The paper said it was unfair to call the report as exercise or to say that it contained nothing new.
The HK Economic Journal columnist Yu Kam-yin said that judging from remarke by William Stones and Sir Jack Cater, Martin Lee could be right in saying that the signing of the nuclear plant contracts was scheduled for mid-September. The columnist said that the signing might have been postponed because Peking wanted to meet the Legco delegations
first.
He claimed that Maria Tam might have learnt about Peking's intentions and therefore had rejected Martin Lee's claim that the contracts would be signed in mid-September. The columnist asked why Miss Tam had not told other councillors about this earlier..
Wednesday, September 3: The Governor, Sir Edward Youde, told reporters at the airport upon his return from Peking last night that he understood that the signing of the contracts for the Daya Bay project would take place between September 22 and 24, which would be after the visit of the Legco missions to Peking, the media reported prominently.
The Governor said that he had conveyed to the Chinese authorities
the concerns of people in HK on Daya Bay.
"They assured me that they were fully alive to those concerns and understood them," Sir Edward added.
He said : "As far as the KK Government position is concerned, which they asked about, I told them that we would stand by the
commitments we had made in respect of the project."
P.32
Page 195Page 196