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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1986
RECALLING THE BACKGROUND TO THE DAYA BAY ISSUE, MR JACOBS SAID THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON NOVEMBER 9, 1983, OF THE GOVERNMENT'S AGREEMENT TO HONG KONG'S PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT HAD ATTRACTED SOME 20 NEWSPAPER EDITORIALS AND HAD BEEN GENERALLY WELL RECEIVED.
+ IT WAS DESCRIBED AS TIMELY AND WISE' BY SOME. OTHERS BELIEVED THE DECISION WOULD BOOST PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND ENHANCE THE TERRITORY'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, HE SAID.
HE RECALLED THAT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT HE HAD INDICATED THAT THE PROJECT OFFERED HONG KONG AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE ITS DESIRE TO CO-OPERATE FULLY WITH CHINA IN ITS FOUR MODERNISATIONS PROGRAMME AND THAT IT ALSO PROVIDED ANOTHER CLEAR INDICATION OF OUR FAITH IN THE FUTURE.
+OVERALL THE PROJECT WAS SEEN AS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT
WHICH AUGURED WELL FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE.+
MR JACOBS SAID IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT AT CHERNOBYL THAT THE SAFETY OF THE DAYA BAY PLANT BECAME A MATTER OF GREAT CONCERN TO THE HONG KONG PUBLIC GENERALLY.
WHAT CHERNOBYL DID WAS TO PUT INTO SHARP FOCUS INTERNATIONALLY AS NEVER BEFORE THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS OF
NUCLEAR ENERGY.
HONG KONG WAS NO EXCEPTION AND WITH A REVIVED AND INTENSIFIED PUBLIC DEBATE ON DAYA BAY, THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES VISITED THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE FOR ON THE SPOT DISCUSSIONS IN THE WAKE OF THE DISASTER.
+ONE OUTCOME OF THAT VISIT WAS THAT THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE HARWELL STUDY ARE TO BE EXTENDED TO INCORPORATE ANY LESSONS LEARNT FROM CHERNOBYL WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO HONG KONG AND ITS CIRCUMSTANCES,+ MR JACOBS SAID, REFERRING TO THE STUDY BEING UNDERTAKEN FOR THE GOVERNMENT BY THE UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY.
HE ADDED THAT AT THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) MEETING ON SAFETY HELD LAST MONTH IN VIENNA, WHICH HONG KONG ATTENDED AS AN OBSERVER, TWO IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS ON EARLY NOTIFICATION AND ASSISTANCE IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT HAD BEEN ADOPTED.
AS TO THE DAYA BAY PLANT ITSELF, MR JACOBS SAID, WE MUST NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THIS IS A POWER STATION BEING BUILT IN CHINA.+
EVEN THOUGH THE HONG KONG DIMENSION HAD BEEN IMPORTANT AND HAD ALLOWED AN INPUT IN THE DELIBERATIONS CONCERNING THE POWER STATION, THE FACT THAT IT WAS A CHINESE PROJECT NECESSARILY LIMITED THE SCOPE AND SCALE OF HONG KONG'S INVOLVEMENT, HE SAID.
+IT MUST