WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1986
5
MANY QUESTIONS NEEDED TO BE ANSWERED, SHE SAID, AND CONFLICTING INFORMATION PRESENTED BY THE JOINT VENTURE COMPANY AND ANTI-NUCLEAR GROUPS VERIFIED BEFORE A MAJORITY DECISION COULD BE TAKEN.
MISS TAM DISMISSED CRITICISM AGAINST THE FACT-FINDING MISSIONS, SAYING THAT TO LOOK AT THIS AS A PURELY POLITICAL ISSUE WAS A NARROW POINT OF VIEW.
+WE MUST FIRST VERIFY THE FACTS PUT BEFORE US AND THEN MAKE JUDGEMENTS ON IT, AND IF WE SHOULD FIND THE SAFETY AND CONTINGENCY MEASURES UNSATISFACTORY, WE SHALL SAY SO, SHE SAID.
THE TASK OF COUNCILLORS, SHE STRESSED, WAS TO ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT WHAT WAS THE BEST OPTION AVAILABLE TO US THAT WILL BEST SAFEGUARD THE INTEREST OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE, OR ELSE WE ARE NO MORE CONTRIBUTORY THAN PRESSURE GROUPS+.
MISS TAM SAID AT PRESENT THERE WAS NO CONSENSUS ON WHAT WAS THE BEST OPTION.
SOME THOUGHT THAT NUCLEAR PLANTS OF THE DAYA BAY TYPE ARE INTRINSICALLY SAFE BUT HAD DOUBTS ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY OF A CHINESE TEAM OF EXPERTS AND ENGINEERS SOME ADVOCATED TURNING DAYA BAY INTO A COAL-FIXED PLANT SOME BELIEVED EDUCATION PROGRAMMES MAY HELP LEAD TO ACCEPTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY SOME BELIEVE NUCLEAR ENERGY PROVIDED NO SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS BUT THE RISK, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, WAS NOT WORTH TAKING WHILE SOME BELIEVED, FOR GOOD REASONS, THE PLANS SHOULD BE SCRAPPED ALTOGETHER.
+WE MUST EXAMINE THESE OPTIONS BEFORE COMING TO A MAJORITY DECISION ON WHICH IS REALLY THE BEST ONE, MISS TAM SAID.
CITING SOME PLUS FACTORS OF THE PROJECT, MISS TAM SAID: +I TRUST THAT IN THE YEARS LEADING UP TO AND DURING THE SINO- BRITISH NEGOTIATION ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, THE FACT THAT THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR POWER JOINT VENTURE COMPANY IS INVESTING U.S. $400 MILLION ON THIS PROJECT HELPED TO MAINTAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF FOREIGN INVESTORS IN HONG KONG+.
THE FRENCH PLANTS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE A GOOD TRACK RECORD OF BEING SAFE, AND THERE WAS ALSO A NEED TO DIVERSIFY THE SOURCE OF FULL SUPPLY TO HONG KONG WHICH IS VULNERABLE TO THE COST OF TOTALLY IMPORTED COAL AND OIL.
SHE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT PARTICIPATION BY CHINA LIGHT AND POWER ENSURED THAT A HONG KONG COMPANY MAY HAVE A SAY IN THE CONTROL OF THE PLANT AND ON MATTERS OF SAFETY.
+SO LET US NOT FORGET THAT IN THOSE DIFFICULT AND UNCERTAIN YEARS THE DAYA BAY SITE ON THE MAP WAS MARKED WITH A PLUS SIGN RATHER THAN A MINUS SIGN, AND FOR GOOD REASONS,+ SHE SAID.
/DME NOTED