WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1986
15
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CALL TO DEFER DAYA BAY PROJECT
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THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT PROJECT SHOULD BE DEFERRED FOR A YEAR OR TWO TO GIVE HONG KONG PEOPLE A CHANCE TO COOL OFF, THE HON CHUNG PUI-LAM SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING DURING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE ISSUE, MR CHUNG SAID DURING THE SUGGESTED INTERIM PERIOD, CAREFUL DELIBERATION COULD BE MADE.
+ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ACCEDE TO PUBLIC REQUESTS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION ON THE NUCLEAR PLANT ISSUE.
+RELIABLE AND PRACTICAL CONTINGENCY AND EVACUATION PLANS SHOULD ALSO BE DRAWN UP.
+WHEN THE PUBLIC HAS LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE SUBJECT, THEIR FEARS TOWARDS NUCLEAR ENERGY WOULD BE REDUCED, HE SAID.
MR CHUNG SAID IT WAS EVIDENT THAT UNLESS CHINA GAVE UP ITS MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN THE PROJECT VOLUNTARILY OR MOVED THE PLANT TO A FURTHER SITE, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE TO PERSUADE CHINA TO CHANGE ITS MIND.
HE WAS OF THE OPINION THAT THE FERVENT ANTI-NUCLEAR SENTIMENTS IN HONG KONG SHOULD BE HANDLED CAREFULLY BY BOTH CHINA AND HONG KONG,
MR CHUNG LISTED SIX POINTS FOR GOVERNMENT'S SERIOUS CONSIDERATION:
* GIVE SPECIFIC EXPLANATION ON EFFECTIVE PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST POSSIBLE HAZARDS WHICH A NUCLEAR PLANT MIGHT HAVE ON HONG KONG;
*
*
PREPARE AN ADEQUATE CONTINGENCY PLAN IF THERE WAS A NUCLEAR CATASTROPHE;
CALCULATE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A NUCLEAR PLANT IN RELATION TO ITS SETBACKS;
*
URGE BRITAIN AND CHINA TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE TOGETHER AND FORMULATE REMEDIAL POLICIES;
*
CONSIDER INVITING THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY TO MONITOR THE MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT STANDARDS AS WELL AS THE PERFORMANCE OF STAFF OF THE PLANT SO THAT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS OF THE PUBLIC REGARDING SAFETY WOULD BE REDUCED,
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