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GOVERNOR RETURNS FROM LONDON
MONDAY, MAY 30, 1994
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION BY THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN AT THE KAI TAK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AFTER HIS RETURN FROM LONDON THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON:
GOVERNOR: GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM VERY PLEASED TO BE BACK IN HONG KONG. I HAD AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL VISIT TO BRITAIN. GOOD MEETINGS WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, FOREIGN SECRETARY, A NUMBER OF OTHER MINISTERS. GOOD MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND BUSINESS INTERESTS AND A NUMBER OF SPEECHES. I PARTICULARLY ENJOYED GOING TO MANCHESTER WHICH HAS THE LARGEST HONG KONG COMMUNITY OUTSIDE LONDON AND MEETING SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, SEEING WHAT A TREMENDOUS CONTRIBUTION THEY ARE MAKING TO CIVIC AND COMMERCIAL LIFE IN MANCHESTER, AND MAKING THE ANNUAL MANCHESTER LECTURE ON HONG KONG WHICH ATTRACTED A VERY LARGE AUDIENCE. SO, IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL REGULAR VISIT TO LONDON. ONCE AGAIN, EVIDENCE OF SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT RIGHT ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM FOR ALL THAT WE ARE DOING HERE IN HONG KONG. AND I SHALL CONTINUE TO GO REGULARLY TO LONDON FOUR OR FIVE TIMES A YEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNICATIONS ARE AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE. IF THEREN'T ANY QUESTIONS..
QUESTION: MR PATTEN, YOU KNOW THAT TWO MAINLAND DISSIDENT WRITERS WERE REJECTED VISAS TO COME TO HONG KONG TO ATTEND SEMINARS. WHY IS IT ALRIGHT FOR HAN DONGFANG AND IT IS NOT ALRIGHT FOR THEM?
GOVERNOR: SENSIBLY, WE DON'T COMMENT ON INDIVIDUAL CASES. BUT, PERHAPS, I CAN DEAL WITH ONE PARTICULAR POINT AND ONE GENERAL POINT. THE PARTICULAR POINT IS ABOUT MR HAN. MR HAN IS HERE BECAUSE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WON'T LET HIM GO BACK INTO CHINA WHICH HE WOULD LIKE TO DO. So, I THINK WHEN NAMELESS OFFICIALS WHO DON'T ALLOW THEIR NAMES TO BE PUBLISHED, CRITICISED US IN THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND EXTRAVAGANT TERMS FOR MR HAN'S POSITION HERE IN OUR MIDST, THEY SHOULD BEAR THAT IN MIND. IT'S A PROBLEM THAT THEY'VE CREATED, NOT US. THEY'VE TIED THE KNOT. THEY HAVE TO UNTIE IT. SECONDLY, WE HAVE HERE IN HONG KONG FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY WHICH PEOPLE EXERCISE ON A WHOLE WITH RESTRAINT, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THINGS HAPPENING OUTSIDE HONG KONG. AND, I THINK THAT PEOPLE RECOGNISE THAT PART OF THE "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS" CONCEPT IS THAT WE DO NEED TO BE RESTRAINED FROM TIME TO TIME IN THE WAY WE SAY THINGS OR THE WAY WE PUT OUR ARGUMENTS. I THINK THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FREEDOMS THAT WE ALL EXERCISE HERE AND AT SENSITIVE MOMENTS, ALLOWING OTHERS, HOWEVER DISTINGUISHED OR BLOQUENT, TO COME IN AND USE THOSE FREEDOMS THEMSELVES TO, PERHAPS, CRITICISE WHAT'S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE. I DON'T THINK ON A WHOLE THAT THE COMMUNITY FINDS THAT SURPRISING OR DOESN'T SUPPORT THE GENERAL APPROACH THAT WE TAKE ON THESE MATTERS, BUT THERE ARE JUST SOME MOMENTS, YOU KNOW JUST AS WELL AS I DO, WHICH ARE MORE SENSITIVE THAN OTHERS AND NONE OF US WANT TO MAKE DIFFICULTIES MORE COMPLEX.
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QUESTION: MR PATTEN, THE ALL HONG KONG PEOPLE ALLIANCE IN SUPPORT PATRIOTIC AND DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN CHINA, THEY ARE LABELLED BY NCNA VICE DIRECTOR AS SUBVERSIVE ORGANISATION IN HONG KONG AND YESTERDAY THEIR DEMONSTRATIONS WERE CONTROLLED OR TIGHTENED UP THE CONTROL BY THE POLICE. WHAT IS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POLICY? SHOULD IT BE DISBANDED AFTER 1997?
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