ON 16 SEPTEMBER, WERE WIDELY REPORTED BY THE MEDIA. IT WAS SAND THAT THE FIVE LEGCO MEMBERS HAD ALTOGETHER RECEIVED ABOUT 11,000 RETURNS AND 8862 OF THEM WERE FOUND TO BE VALID. THE SURVEY SHOWED
THAT 73 PER CENT OF THE 8862 RESPONDENTS WERE AGAINST THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLANT WHILE 13 PER CENT OF THEM SUPPORTED THE
PROJECT. COMPARED WITH A SIMILAR SURVEY CONDUCTED TWO MONTHS AGO,
THE PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS OPPOSED TO THE PLANT WAS ALMOST THE
SAME BUT THERE WAS A THREE PER CENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
IN FAVOUR OF THE PLANT. DR. LAI WAS OF THE VIEW THAT SUCH INCREASE
INDICATED THAT MOPE PEOPLE HAD ACCEPTED THAT THE DAYA BAY PLANT WAS
A FAIT ACCOMPLI. THE MEDIA NOTED THAT DR. RICHARD LA INTENDED TO
REFLECT THE RESULTS TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES DURING THE LEGCO
VISIT TO PEKING. MISS MARNA TAM, WHEN ASKED BY THE PRESS, SAID THAT THE LEGCO DELEGATION WOULD NOT RAISE THE MATTER DURING FORMAL
MEETINGS. NEVERTHELESS, THERE WAS NO OBJECTION TO INDIVIDUAL LEGCO
MEMBERS TAKING THIS UP DURING THEIR INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE
CHINESE OFFICIALS. IN THIS CONNECTION, SOME PAPERS SAID THAT DR.
CONRAD LAM (WHO WAS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH MR. MARTIN LEE) HAD GIVEN
A POSITION PAPER TO MR. STEPHEN CHEONG TO RAISE WITH THE CHINESE
AUTHORITIES DURING THE VISIT TO PEKING. IN HIS POSITION PAPER, DR. LAM URGED CHINA TO SHOW CONCERN ON THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THE PROJECT
#FT DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH IT.
5. THE VS NT BY THE ELEVEN MEMBERS OF THE LEGCO FACT-FINDING
DELEGATION TO PEKING BETWEEN 17 AND 21 SEPTEMBER WAS THE FOCUS OF
PRESS ATTENTION. THE STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE LEGCO DELEGATION PRIOR
TO THEIR DEPARTURE TO PEKING (FAXED TO YOU AND PARIS) WAS
PROMINENTLY REPORTED. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LEGCO DELEGATES HAD
BEEN ARRANGED TO STAY MN THE DAO YU TAH STATE GUEST HOUSE WHICH
WAS NORMALLY RESERVED FOR VISITING HEADS OF STATE AND IMPORTANT
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. THE DELEGATION WAS GREETED BY MR. KONG KANG
(HEAD OF THE SECOND DEPARTMENT UNDER THE HONG KONG AND MACAU
OFFICE) AND MR. LH YING XIANG (DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH CENTRE UNDER
THE MINISTRY OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY). THE LEGCO DELEGATES MET SEVERAL
CHINESE OFFICIALS INCLUDING THE MR. L PENG (VICE PREMIER), MR. ZHOU PHING (VICE-MINISTER OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY), MR. MA FU-BANG (DIRECTOR
OF NUCLEAR ENERGY BUREAU), MR. ZHANG YUMAN (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL NUCLEAR SAFETY ADMINISTRATION) AND A NUMBER OF NUCLEAR
EXPERTS TO EXCHANGE VIEWS ON THE DAYA BAY PROJECT AND THE LEGCO
REPORT. UPON RETURN THE DELEGATION MADE A LONG PRESS STATEMENT ON
THEIR VISIT (ALREADY FAXED TO YOU AND PARIS) AND THIS IMMEDIATELY
BECAME THE HEADLINES OF MANY PAPERS. THE MEDHA HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE
LEGCO MEMBERS WERE PLEASED THAT THE LEGCO REPORT WAS FAVOURABLY
RECEIVED BY CHINA. NEVERTHELESS, THE DELEGATION HAD NOT MANAGED
TO PRESS FOR EXTENSION OF THE PRICE GUARANTEE AGREEMENT BEYOND THE
NITIAL 6-YEAR PERIOD. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT DR. RICHARD LA
(ONCE A SUPPORTER FOR MR. MARTIN LEE'S REQUEST FOR A LEGCO DEBATE) NOW CONCEDED THAT THE DECISION TO BUILD THE DAYA BAY PLANT COULD
NOT BE REVERTED. DR. LA ALSO ASKED THE ANTI-DAYA BAY LOBBY TO
SHIFT THEIR FOCUS OF ATTENTION FROM SHELVING THE PROJECT TO THE
SAFETY ASPECT OF THE PLANT. SOME PAPERS SAID THAT THE LEGCO REPORT
ON THE VISIT TO PEKING AND THE QUESTION OF DEBATING DAYA BAY IN
LEGCO WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT LEGCO IN-HOUSE MEETING ON 26 SEPTEMBER AND THAT THE SENIOR LEGCO UNOFFICIAL, MISS LYDIA DUNN, WOULD HOLD A PRESS MEETING AFTER THE MEETING.
-2-CONFIDENTIAL
16.