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CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 1778
OF 011101Z JULY 92
ма MR Stone
307
CONFIDENTIAL
her
Bunter
164363
MDLIAN 6072
PERSONAL FOR MR JOHN MORRIS, PS/MR CHRISTOPHER PATTEN
MIPT
WELCOMING SPEECH GIVEN BY SIR DAVID FORD, KBE, LVO, JP AT THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONY FOR HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR THE RT HON
CHRISTOPHER PATTEN AT THE CITY HALL ON 9 JULY 1992
YOUR EXCELLENCY, MRS PATTEN,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG IT IS MY PRIVILEGE AND
MY PLEASURE TO GREET YOU TODAY AS THE 28TH GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE ASSURED OF A VERY WARM WELCOME FROM THE
WHOLE COMMUNITY. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL ALL ENJOY YOUR LIFE WITH
US IN HONG KONG.
I REMEMBER WELL YOUR FIRST VISIT HERE IN 1979 AS A BACK
BENCH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT. WE SPENT SOME TIME TOGETHER THEN DISCUSSING THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERRITORY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE AMBITIOUS GOALS WHICH HONG KONG
HAD SET ITSELF FOR THE 1980S. I SENSED THEN YOUR REAL CONCERN FOR
THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND YOUR ADMIRATION FOR THEIR ENERGY AND
ENTERPRISE AND FOR THEIR DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED.
YOUR VISIT AS MINISTER FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT IN 1988 CAME AT A TIME WHEN WE WERE STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH A TIDAL WAVE OF HUMANITY FLEEING VIETNAM. YOU MADE FUNDS AVAILABLE SO THAT WE COULD BUILD NEW CAMPS FOR THEM. THE COMMUNITY COPED WITH THAT PROBLEM AS IT HAS COPED WITH ALL THE OTHER CHALLENGES FOR THE LAST DECADE. WE HAVE GONE ON MAKING STEADY PROGRESS, DEVELOPING THE ECONOMY BUILDING UP THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVING OUR SOCIAL PROGRAMMES. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE FACED, THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAS IMPROVED STEADILY OVER THE YEARS.