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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1983'
MINISTER HAS BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF NT
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THE MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, MR RICHARD LUCE, NOW ON A FOUR-DAY VISIT TO HONG KONG, WENT ON A FAMILIARISATION TOUR OF THE NEW TERRITORIES IN A HELICOPTER THIS MORNING.
HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR CHAN NAI-KEONG, AND THE DIRECTOR OF NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT, MR BRYAN O'RORKE.
THE TOUR COVERED TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN, YUEN LONG, FANLING, TAI PO AND SHA TIN.
MR LUCE WAS BRIEFED ON THE DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE IN AND PLANNED FOR THE NEW TOWNS.
PRIOR TO THE TOUR OF THE NEW TOWNS, THE HELICOPTER HOVERED OVER THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND TSIM SHA TSUI EAST WHERE THERE HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS DEVELOPMENT IN RECENT YEARS.
MR LUCE, WHO WAS LAST IN HONG KONG ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, NOTED THE RAPID PACE OF DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY.
HE SHOWED PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWNS.
SPECIAL POST FOR SIR PERCY CRADOCK
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SIR PERCY CRADOCK WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
THEREAFTER HE WILL BE TAKING UP A SPECIAL APPOINTMENT IN THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AS DEPUTY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR NEGOTIATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT SIR PERCY'S SUCCESSOR WILL BE MADE NEARER THE TIME.
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