44
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1987
ASKED WHETHER THERE HAD BEEN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ON THIS ISSUE, SIR DAVID SAID +WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS ON AND OFF ABOUT IT FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS.
+AND IT'S MADE POSSIBLE, OF COURSE, BY THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG,+
EARLIER IN THE MORNING, SIR DAVID TOLD REPORTERS AFTER AN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING THAT THE CLEARANCE WAS QUITE A COMPLICATED QUESTION.
+ IT IS APPARENT TO THE CHINESE AND TO THE BRITISH AND TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT REALLY THE TIME HAS COME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE WALLED CITY,+ HE SAID.
+ THE JOINT DECLARATION PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR THAT, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO AGREE ON THE CLEARANCE OF THE WALLED CITY AND THE ARRANGEMENTS THAT WILL BE MADE TO DEAL WITH THE QUESTIONS WHICH WILL ARISE FROM THE PEOPLE LIVING IN WALLED CITY.+
ON THE QUESTION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, SIR DAVID SAID HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE VERY MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACTUALLY IN THE WALLED CITY. + BUT IF THERE ARE, THEY WILL BE DEALT WITH BY NORMAL PROCEDURES.+
ON ILLEGAL DENTISTS THERE, SIR DAVID NOTED THAT IN ALL THE CLEARANCES THAT HAD BEEN CARRIED OUT OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS OR MORE, THERE HAD ALWAYS BEEN A NUMBER OF ILLEGAL OCCUPATIONS.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DEVISE WAYS AND MEANS OF DEALING WITH SUCH PEOPLE FAIRLY, AND HE BELIEVED THAT THE PRESENCE OF ILLEGAL DENTISTS WOULD NOT PRESENT ANY PARTICULAR PROBLEM. WE WILL FIND A WAY TO DEAL WITH THE SE PROBLEMS FAIRLY AND SATISFACTORILY.+
SIR DAVID ADDED THAT IN THE COURSE OF HONG KONG'S HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, IT SO HAPPENED THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS THERE WOULD BE A GREAT DEAL OF HOUSING TO BE BUILT IN KOWLOON AND IN THE URBAN AREA.
+ IF YOU LEAVE IT LATER, THEN THE HOUSING THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE WILL BE MUCH FURTHER AWAY FROM THE URBAN AREA AND THE CLEARANCE MIGHT BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH.+
ASKED ABOUT THE RATIONALE BEHIND TURNING THE WALLED CITY INTO A PARK, SIR DAVID SAID: THE SURROUNDING AREA IS ALREADY A PARK. IT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE RUNWAY AND
IT'S NOT A VERY SUITABLE PLACE TO GO IN FOR HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT. AND IT IS A VERY CONGESTED AREA OF KOWLOON, SO I THINK A PARK MAKES VERY GOOD SENSE.+
/ASKED WHI