UNCLASSIFIED
157767 MDLIAN 2089
HK COMMERCIAL DAILY REPORTED THAT ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT'S LATEST INFORMATION, THE ROAD LINK FROM LANTAU ISLAND, MA WAN TO TSING YI WOULD BE INCREASED BY DOLLARS 4 BILLION, WHICH WAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE ORIGINAL COST ESTIMATE OF THE ROAD LINK.
18. MEDIA REPORTS NOTED THAT SEVERAL COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS AND POLITICAL GROUPS HAD PROTESTED AGAINST THE LACK OF INFORMATION ON THE AIRPORT AND PORT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND HAD CRITICISED LEGCO MEMBERS FOR RUBBER-STAMPING THE GOVERNMENTS PROPOSALS FOR THE PROJECTS. IT WAS NOTED THAT VARIOUS PARTIES AFFECTED BY THE PADS PETITIONED THE OMELCO SEEKING COMPENSATION.
19. THE HK ECONOMIC TIMES SAID THAT THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT HAD GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CHINA AND BRITAIN TO OUTWIT EACH OTHER AND THAT AS A RESULT, HK HAD TO SUFFER, IT NOTED THAT REMARKS BY SIR DAVID FORD THAT ''THERE IS NO MAGIC FOR 1997'' HELPED RELIEVE WORRIES AND THAT A CONSENSUS MIGHT BE POSSIBLE. IT UNDERSTOOD THAT THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST RUNWAY OF THE CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT WAS IN SOME WAY RELATED TO POLITICAL FACTORS. SING TAO JIH PAO REPORTED THAT MORE THAN 100 CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES HAD OBTAINED APPLICATION FORMS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SCRUTINISE THEIR QUALIFICATIONS FOR TENDERING THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING.
WILSON
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
58
.HONG KONG AGREEMENT
.(RESTRICTED)
LIMITED
HKD
HD/FED
NEWS D
ADDITIONAL
3
MS FOAKES LEGAL ADVISERS
MS BARRETT LEGAL ADVISERS
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
61
PUSD
RAD
PS/LORD CAITHNESS
PS/MR LENNOX-BOYD
MR MCLAREN
MR BURNS
MR FIFOOT LEGAL ADVISERS
PAGE
UNCLASSIFIED
5