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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1978
LAST MONTH AT LION ROCK COUNTRY PARK, VANDALS BROKE TWO FIRE-BEATER STANDS, BURNT EIGHT FIRE BEATERS, BROKE THREE BARBECUE PITS AND GRILLS, BROKE AND BURNT 19 BENCHES, THREW AWAY THREE LARGE LITTER BINS, AND CHOPPED DOWN SEVEN LARGE TREES INCLUDING CAMPHOR, BAUHINIA, ACACIA AND CASSIA.
+ THE COUNTRYSIDE IS FOR EVERYONE'S ENJOYMENT AND WE APPEAL TO ALL USERS TO GIVE US THE IR FULL CO-OPERATION IN PRESERVING THIS NATURAL BEAUTY WHICH IS SO RARE TO FIND IN SUCH A HEAVILY POPULATED AREA,+ SAID MR. CHEONG.
IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL MASS MEDIA WELL UNDERSTOOD ****
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MASS MEDIA IN HONG KONG, ESPECIALLY THE CHINESE MEDIA, IS WELL UNDERSTOOD BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE KEPT INFORMED OF NEWS AND VIEWS IN THE CHINESE PRESS BY A DAILY TWO-PAGE TABLOID NEWSPAPER PRODUCED BY THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES.
THE TABLOID TITLED +GIST+ WHICH STANDS FOR GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES TRANSLATION, IS THE GIST, IN ENGLISH, OF THE NEWS AND EDITORIAL COMMENTS IN 23 MAJOR CHINESE PAPERS AS WELL AS THE CHINESE SERVICES IN BOTH RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS.
COPIES OF +GIST ARE CIRCULATED TO ALL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT.
THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES ALSO PRODUCES A WEEKLY REVIEW OF CHINESE NEWS MEDIA COMMENT CALLED OPINION+ FOR CIRCULATION WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT.
IN ADDITION, A DAILY SUMMARY OF CHINESE PRESS COMMENTS AND EDITORIALS IS WIDELY CIRCULATED WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT AND IT IS COMMON PRACTICE IN ALL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TO TRANSLATE ITEMS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.
ON PUBLIC OPINION EXPRESSED IN THE FORM OF +LETTERS TO EDITOR+ COLUMNS, ALL 23 MAJOR CHINESE NEWSPAPERS ARE EXAMINED DAILY BY OFFICERS IN THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES AND THE ATTENTION OF THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS IS DRAWN TO THESE LETTERS. THIS PROCEDURE IS ALSO ADOPTED IN RESPECT OF THE ENGLISH PRESS.
OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS HAVE ANSWERED ABOUT 2.000 LETTERS CONSIDERED TO MERIT A REPLY WITH A 85 PER CENT ANSWER-RATE IN THE CHINESE PRESS AND 83 PER CENT IN THE ENGLISH PAPERS.
MOST OF THE REMAINING LETTERS ARE RELATED TO COMPLAINTS THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN DEALT WITH OR HAD BEEN ANSWERED BY PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS.
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