TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1989
10
IN
HARVEY PONG (WAH KIU YAT PAO) ACCORDING TO THE TIMETABLE, 1992 THE FIRST GURKHA BATTALION OF 48 BRIGADE WILL BE WITHDRAWN FROM HONG KONG. DO YOU THINK IT'S WISE TO RUN DOWN THE GURKHAS IN MID- 1990'S WHEN THEY MAY BE REQUIRED EVEN MORE THAN EVER ΤΟ PROVIDE STABILITY IN HONG KONG, AND TO COPE WITH DISORDER THAT MAY ARISE?
SIR GEOFFREY: I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION AMONGST MANY THAT HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, ADDRESSING THAT QUESTION, IS THE PROVISION IN THE JOINT DECLARATION THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS OWN INTERNAL SECURITY. IT'S FOR THAT REASON THAT THE HONG KONG POLICE FORCE ESTABLISHMENT HAS BEEN GROWING IN THE YEARS SINCE THE JOINT DECLARATION WAS MADE. AND I'M SURE THAT IT IS RIGHT, SO FAR AND AS FAST AS WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS IN THAT DIRECTION, FOR HONG KONG'S INTERNAL SECURITY TO BE BASED, NOT UPON SOLDIERS FROM ANYWHERE ELSE, BUT UPON HER OWN POLICE FORCE. SO, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD REASON FOR OUR BEING RELUCTANT TO LEAN ANY MORE THAN WE HAVE ΤΟ ON THE GURKHAS OR ANYBODY ELSE. ALL DECISIONS, OF COURSE, CAN BR
RECONSIDERED.
HARVEY PONG: WILL THERE BE A REVIEW ON WITHDRAWAL PLANS?
SIR GEOFFREY: ALL DECISIONS, AT ALL TIMES, ARE CAPABLE OF RECONSIDERATION. BUT THE POINT I'M MAKING, THE CENTRAL POINT IS THAT HONG KONG'S OWN INTERESTS, IT IS BEST TO MAKE AS STEADY PROGRESS AS POSSIBLE TOWARDS HAVING INTERNAL SECURITY BASED FIRMLY AND PROGRESSIVELY ON ITS OWN POLICE FORCE.
BOTH YOUR
YOU'RE
MEETINGS
KATE ADIE (BBC): YOU TALK, IN ONE OF YOUR POINTS THAT GOING TO TAKE BACK FROM THIS MEETING, ABOUT THAT PEKING NEEDS TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE, WHICH IS A FINE THOUGHT, WHAT EVIDENCE DOES HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT OF TRUST BEING HELD IN THE PEKING GOVERNMENT.
HAVE IT'S ONE THING TO HOPE: WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF BRITAIN PEOPLE OF HONG KONG CAN TRUST THE PRESENT CHINESE RULERS?
AND THE
AND IN MY BEEN
IN
SIR GEOFFREY: THE BURDEN OF MY SPEECH YESTERDAY, STATEMENT TODAY, STARTS FROM THE PREMISE THAT THE TRUST THAT HAD BUILT UP OVER TEN YEARS BEFORE JUNE 4, HAS BEEN VERY LARGELY DESTROYED BY WHAT HAPPENED THERE. AND IT'S FOR THAT REASON I'VE EMPHASISED MY SPEECH THERE, AND AGAIN TODAY, THAT THAT TRUST WILL RECREATED
HAVE TO BE BY A WHOLE SERIES OF ACTIONS, RATHER THAN WORDS, PEKING GOVERNMENT. THE WAY IN WHICH THEY TREAT THEIR OWN NOW ON, WILL NEED TO BE TRANSFORMED FROM WHAT IS NOW HAPPENING. WAY IN WHICH THEY RESPOND TO THE CASE THAT WE MAKE IN RELATION TO BASIC LAW WILL NEED TO BE VERY SERIOUSLY EXAMINED. BUT I DON'T ΤΟ SAY THAT THERE IS ANY SINGLE ACTION THAT ANY CHINESE LEADER TAKE, THAT COULD WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN, OR ANYTHING LIKE IT. GOING TO BE A LONG BUSINESS, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE EXTENT TO TRUST HAS BEEN SO LARGELY DESTROYED, THAT WE NEED TO TRY AND BUILD IN OTHER FORTIFICATIONS FOR THE CENTRAL BASIS OF HONG KONG'S WHICH IS ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS. SO THAT POINT, IS ONE OF A
FROM THE PEOPLE FROM
THE
THE
BEGIN
COULD
IT'S
WHICH
DEFENCE,
NUMBER
+
· WE HAVE TO PURSUE.
/KATE ADIE