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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1984
FREE HONG KONG PRESS ADDS TO CONFIDENCE, GOVERNOR SAYS
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THE EXISTENCE OF A FLOURISHING FREE PRESS, RADIO AND TELEVISION CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONFIDENCE WHICH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS IN HONG KONG, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
+THIS FREEDOM HAS BEEN AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF THIS SOCIETY FOR YEARS AND ONE GREATLY VALUED BY ALL THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,+ THE GOVERNOR SAID.
THE GOVERNOR WAS SPEAKING AT THE COMMONWEALTH BROADCASTING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE, WHICH HE DECLARED OPEN TODAY.
SIR EDWARD SAID THAT ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PROVISIONS OF THE DRAFT AGREEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WAS THE PRESERVATION OF EXISTING RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS AFTER 1997, ENCOMPASSING THE FREEDOMS OF THE PRESS AND OF SPEECH.
THE GOVERNOR ALSO SAID THAT THE INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER OF HONG KONG AND ITS IMPORTANCE AS A FINANCIAL AND TRADING CENTRE OWED MUCH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AND THUS ATTRACTED MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES FROM MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD.
+THERE IS PROBABLY NO OTHER PLACE OF SIMILAR SIZE TO HONG KONG THAT CAN RIVAL THE RANGE AND INTENSITY OF MEDIA ACTIVITY HERE, HE SAID.
TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG KEPT PACE WITH WORLD DEVELOPMENTS, A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF BROADCASTING HAD BEEN RECENTLY LAUNCHED, HE SAID.
THE REVIEW WOULD ASSESS THE LONG-TERM NEEDS FOR TELEVISION AND SOUND BROADCASTING, AND RECOMMEND A POLICY FOR THE IR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG. IT WOULD ALSO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, ASSESS THE GOVERNMENT'S OWN BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CONSIDER WHETHER RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG SHOULD CONTINUE IN ITS PRESENT FORM, OR BECOME AN INDEPENDENT CORPORATION, HE SAID.
IT WAS FITTING THAT THE COMMONWEALTH BROADCASTING CONFERENCE SHOULD BE HELD HERE AT THIS TIME, AS HONG KONG COULD LEARN FROM ITS PROCEEDINGS AND, HE THOUGHT, COULD ALSO OFFER USEFUL EXPERIENCE, SIR EDWARD SAID.
ALSO SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE, THE DIRECTOR OF BROADCASTING, MR STUART WILKINSON, TOLD THE DELEGATES THAT AS FAR AS BROADCASTING WAS CONCERNED, HONG KONG HAD ENJOYED THE ADVANTAGES OF TWO SYSTEMS WITHIN ONE TERRITORY: ON THE CNE HAND, FIERCELY COMPETITIVE COMMERCIAL STATIONS ON THE OTHER, RTHK, A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT PAID FOR BY THE TAXPAYER.
+WHAT HAS