FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1993
QUESTION:
IF I COULD JUST FOLLOW IT UP, BUT YOU HAVE POINTED OUT REPEATEDLY THE
YOUR SEEKING WHEN YOU CUT BACKWARDS WITH THE TIME NEEDED TO PASS LEGISLATION BUT THE CUTS MEAN THAT STICKING POINT IS
FOR THE THROUGH-TRAIN IN 1997, ON WHICH WE STILL HAVE MORE TIME. SO DOESN'T THIS FIGURE INTO HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR SOLUTION?
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GOVERNOR:
CHALLENGED
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WELL, YOU ARE CORRECT IN SAYING THAT
ONE I THINK IF WAS USING EUPHIMISMS AND TRYING NOT TO USE SOME OF THE EXPRESSIONS I HAVE USED BEFORE YOU ARE CORRECT IN SAYING THAT WE ARE NOT, NOT CHRONOLOGICALLY ABOUT THE THROUGH-TRAIN CRITERIA TO QUITE THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE ABOUT THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS. NEVERTHELESS, I THINK THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF SKEPTICAL QUESTIONING OF ANY OVERALL AGREEMENT ON THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS WHICH DID NOT ALSO REFER ΤΟ THE THROUGH-TRAIN AND I AM SURE IT WOULD BE REGARDED AS DESIRABLE BY OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES, AS WELL AS DESIRABLE BY OURSELVES, TO HAVE A COMPENDIUM AGREEMENT WHICH COVERS BOTH. BUT I REPEAT, THE POINT THAT YOU HAVE MADE ABOUT TIMING IS CORRECT, THOUGH NOT, I SUSPECT, IMMENSELY HELPFUL. I THINK THAT WE HAVE GOT TO GET AN AGREEMENT ON BOTH.
QUESTION:
NOT ABOUT THE TALKS, IT'S ABOUT FREEDOM OF PRESS. MING PAO REPORTER HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR MORE THAN A MONTH. So, SAID THAT YOU WOULD INTERVENE AS THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG. WHAT CAN BE DONE AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO DATE?
THE
YOU
ELSE
MOVE
GOVERNOR:
AS YOU KNOW, IN THIS CASE AS IN OTHERS, WE TRY TO IN A WAY WHICH IS NOT ONLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY BUT MORE PARTICULARLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE EMPLOYER AND FAMILY OF AN INDIVIDUAL CONCERNED. THIS JOURNALIST HAS BEEN WORKING IN HONG KONG WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE, ALL OF US, A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HIM.
HE DOESN'T HAVE HONG KONG CITIZENSHIP, SO HE IS IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CATEGORY TO SOME OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN DIFFICULTY OR TROUBLE IN THE PAST AND OVER WHOSE CASES WE HAVE INTERVENED. WE DID MAKE A NUMBER OF ENQUIRIES AND I THINK WE WENT AS FAR AS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE JOURNALIST'S EMPLOYER AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY WISHED US TO GO. IF THEY WISH US TO GO FURTHER, THEN WE WOULD BE VERY PLEASED TO DO So. WHAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IS TO SAY ANYTHING WHICH IS GOING TO MAKE THAT PARTICULAR CASE MORE DIFFICULT TO RESOLVE. BUT I CAN'T BE THE ONLY PERSON WHO OBVIOUSLY FEELS A GOOD DEAL OF ANXIETY AND CONCERN OVER THE CASE OF A JOURNALIST WHO IS ARRESTED, WHO IS HELD IN CONFINEMENT, WITHOUT ANY OF US BEING ENTIRELY SURE WHY, OR WITHOUT ANY OF US BEING ENTIRELY SURE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM, I RECOGNISE AND RESPECT CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY BUT ALL OF US, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF 1997 AND OUR CONCERNS FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN HONG KONG, MUST INEVITABLY FIND THAT RATHER TROUBLING.
QUESTION:
THE CHINESE HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING то DISCUSS THIS TOPIC AT THE TALKS EVEN IN THE FACE OF YOUR PROPOSALS, SO EVEN ... TIMETABLE OF THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO PASS THE MESSAGE TO THE CABINET
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GOVERNOR:
SORRY? THE CHINESE HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY NOT PREPARED TO DE-COUPLE ON THE BASIS OF MY 1992 PROPOSALS?
QUESTION:
YES.
ARE
BUT GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED THIS PRESSING TIMETABLE FOR THE 94 ELECTIONS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING ΤΟ PASS THE MESSAGE TO THE CABINET THIS TIME?
/GOVERNOR: