TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1985
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VALUE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY RECOGNISED HERE
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HONG KONG RECOGNISES THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN MAINTAINING THE BUOYANCY OF ITS ECONOMY AND WISHES TO CULTIVATE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO THIS TECHNOLOGY.
THIS WAS THE MESSAGE GIVEN BY THE SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND INFORMATION, MR PETER TSAO, AT THE OPENING OF THE HK COMPUTER EXPO '85 TODAY.
MR TSAO SAID IT WAS NOT BY CHANCE THAT THE PRODIGIOUS ECONOMIC GROWTH OF OUR REGION IN THE LAST 10 YEARS HAD BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY WHAT ONE COULD ONLY CALL AN EXPLOSION IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS.
+ IN HONG KONG ALONE, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY INVESTED IN COMPUTER EQUIPMENT HAS INCREASED TENFOLD OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, TO REACH THE STAGGERING SUM OF $2.1 BILLION IN 1984, + HE SAID.
AMONG RECENT COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN HONG KONG CITED BY MR TSAO WERE THE NUMEROUS AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES, ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, A VERSATILE SYSTEM FOR STOCK TRANSACTIONS WHEN THE UNIFIED EXCHANGE OPENS, AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN THE GOVERNMENT TO BACK UP THE RENEWAL OF IDENTITY CARDS AND THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
+BUT IN HONG KONG, WE NOT ONLY USE COMPUTERS, WE MAKE THEM TOO,+ MR TSAO SAID, POINTING OUT THAT IN 1984, THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY EXPORTED OVER $7.5′ BILLION WORTH OF PRODUCTS, AND EMPLOYED ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY.
HE NOTED THAT MEASURES WERE BEING TAKEN TO FURTHER HARNESS COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, IN RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE THAT IT HAS TO PLAY IN THE ECONOMY.
+A COMMITTEE OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL IS WORKING TOWARDS ENHANCING BOTH THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF DATA PROCESSING PERSONNEL IN ANTICIPATION OF OUR FUTURE NEEDS.
+THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE IS RESEARCHING INTO COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES FOR OUR FACTORIES, AND THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT IS ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING THE EXPANSION OF OUR MANUFACTURING BASE IN ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTERS,+ MR TSAO SAID.
MR TSAO ADDED THAT HONG KONG WAS TACKLING SOME OF THE POSSIBLY NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF A COMPUTERISED SOCIETY.
+A WORKING PARTY IS EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF COMPUTERS ON PRIVACY AND THE NEED FOR PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION. OUR YOUNG GENERATION IS ALSO BEING PREPARED TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF A COMPUTERISED SOCIETY WITH A SCHEME, NOW WELL UNDERWAY, TO PUT
THIS MICRO-COMPUTERS INTO EVERY PUBLIC SECTOR SECONDARY SCHOOL. YEAR, A HUNDRED SCHOOLS WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS SCHEME, + HE SAID.
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