THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 194
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PRIME MINISTER ARRIVES
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THE PRIME MINISTER, MRS MARGARET THATCHER, ARRIVED FROM PEKING THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON AFTER SIGNING THE JOINT DECLARATION ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG,
SHE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, SIR GEOFFREY HOWE, LADY HOWE, THE DEPUTY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, SIR PERCY CRADOCK, AND THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO PEKING, SIR RICHARD EVANS.
THE PRIME MINISTER AND HER PARTY WERE MET AT THE AIRPORT BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, LADY YOUDE, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, THE COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES, MAJOR-GENERAL DEREK BOORMAN, THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, SIR S.Y. CHUNG, THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR ROGER LOBO, THE DOYEN OF THE CONSULAR CORPS, MRS FELICIDAD BENGZON-GONZALES, THE SENIOR COMMONWEALTH COMMISSIONER, MR KOH LIAN-HWI, AND THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY (HONG KONG BRANCH),
R LI CHUWEN.
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PM SEES AP LEI CHAU DEVELOPMENTS
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THE PRIME MINISTER, MRS MARGARET THATCHER, THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON VISITED AP LEI CHAU WHERE SHE WAS BRIEFED ON THE DEVELOPMENTS ON THE ISLAND AND IN ABERDEEN.
SHE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, MR DONALD LIAO, AND WAS MET ON ARRIVAL BY THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR NICKY CHAN, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ANSON CHAN, THE REGIONAL SECRETARY (HONG KONG AND KOWLOON, MR BARRIE WIGGHAM, AND THE DISTRICT OFFICER (SOUTHERN), MR EDDIE CHAN.
FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION IN 1980 OF A BRIDGE LINKING AP LEI CHAU TO ABERDEEN, IMPROVED TRANSPORT ENABLED THE PREVIOUS BUILDING HEIGHT RESTRICTION TO BE REMOVED AND HIGH-RISE BLOCKS ARE NOW BEING BUILT ON THIS ONCE QUIET ISLAND.
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MRS THATCHER WAS TOLD THE FIRST PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT ON THE ISLAND THE AP LEI CHAU ESTATE WITH ABOUT 4 480 FLATS, HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND A SECOND ESTATE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WITH 4 00 FLATS TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 1986 AND A FURTHER 3 300 FLATS, BY MID-1987.
/SHE LEARNED