THAT THE MATTER SHOULD BE HANDLED WITH GREAT CARE AS ANY INDISCRI- MINATE USE OF THE ORDINANCE MIGHT UNDERMINE INVESTORS' CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. MING PAO HOWEVER ARGUED IN ITS EDITORIAL OF 2 OCTOBER THAT FEARS ABOUT ABUSE OF THE ORDINANCE WERE UNFOUNDED. THE ORDINANCE HAD CLEARLY SPELT OUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE SEEKING OF INFORMATION. FURTHERMORE, THE GOVERNOR HAD A FINAL SAY ON WHETHER THE RELEASE OF THE REQUISITE INFORMATION WAS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.
4. THERE WERE MORE SIGNS THAT THE PUBLIC ATTENTION WAS SHIFTING AWAY FROM SAFETY TO THE ELECTRICITY PRICE. A LEGCO UNOFFICIAL. MRS. SELINA CHOW, TOLD THE PRESS THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE PRICE GUARANTEE SHOULD BE EXTENDED BEYOND THE INTITIAL SIX YEARS WITH A VIEW TO BETTER SAFEGUARDING THE LONG TERM INTEREST OF THE MONG KONG CONSUMERS. MR. JOHN WILSON OF ESB WAS INTERVIEWED BY HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL ON THE PURCHASE OF ELECTRICITY FROM DAYA BAY. HE WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THE CLP WOULD FURCHASE ELECTRICITY THROUGH HKNIC FROM DAYA BAY. CLP WAS A PARTY TO THE SCHEMES OF CONTROL AND HAD TO OBTAIN APPROVAL FROM THE GOVERNMENT BEFORE IT COULD RAISE THE TARIFFS. IN THIS WAY, THE GOVERNMENT COULD EXERCISE CONTROL
OVER THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY.
5. THERE WAS RESIDUAL CONCERN OVER THE SAFETY OF THE PLANT. THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HONG KONG WOULD HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF WATER SUPPLY IF THE WATER FROM EAST RIVER WAS CONTAMINATED AS A RESULT OF AN ACCODENT AT DAYA BAY. THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN HOLDING DISCUSSIONS WITH THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TO STUDY HOW THE WATER SOURCES WOULD DE AFFECTED IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT AT DAYA BAY. ON THE PLANT SITE ITSELF, A SENIOR ENGINEER FROM THE GUANGDONG PROVINCE, MR. CHEN TINGGUANG, TOLD A SEMINAR IN HONG KONG THAT THE PRESENT SITE WAS SELECTED AFTER CAREFUL INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS. IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY MEDIUM AND
STRONG EARTHQUAKES IN THE AREA.
6. THE MEDIA EXTENSIVELY REPORTED THAT THE FOUR MAIN CONTRACTS AND THREE LOAN AGREEMENTS WERE APPROVED BY THE STATE COUNCIL ON 7 OCTOBER. THE PUBLIC RELATIONS MECHANISMS OF GNPJVC AND CLP WERE SET FOR RAPID EXPANSION IN PREPARATION OF THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMES FOR DAYA BAY. IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WERE THREE MAINLAND OFFICIALS WORKING IN THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS UNIT ESTABLISHED UNDER GNPJVC AND THAT ONLY TWO JUNIOR OFFICERS REMAINED WITH THE CLP'S UNIT FOR THE TIME BEING. THE TWO COMAPNIES WISHED TO TRIPLE THEIR PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSONNEL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A SERIES OF ACTIVITIES RELATING
TO NUCLEAR ENERGY AND DAYA DAY.
7. THE RESULTS OF TWO OPINION SURVEYS ON DAYA BAY WERE PUBLISHED. THE FIRST SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY TIN TIN DAILY NEWS BETWEEN 17 JULY AND 17 SEPTEMBER. IT SHOWED THAT 63 FER CENT OF THE 34618 RESPONDENTS WERE AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAYA BAY PLANT WHILE 29.6 PER CENT OF THE RESPONDENTS SUPPORTED THE PROJECT. THE SECOND SURVEY WAS DONE BY THE MARKETING DECISION RESEARCH COMPANY
COVERING THE PERIOD BETWEEN 1 20 SEPTEMBER. IT REVEALED THAT
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