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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1994
TRANSCRIPT OF GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION
HON CHRISTOPHER
FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR, THE ᎡᎢ PATTEN, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER VISITING TUEN MUN DISTRICT THIS
(WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON:
GOVERNOR:
DISTRICT,
THIS IS THE SECOND OFFICIAL VISIT I'VE MADE TO TUEN MUN THOUGH NOT THE SECOND VISIT THAT I'VE MADE TO TUEN MUN AS I'VE BEEN ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE AT THE NEW LINGNAN COLLEGE BUILDING.
I THINK IT'S CLEAR TO ALL OF US THAT THE MAIN PROBLEMS THAT TUEN MUN FACES, FIRST OF ALL DEALING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SOME OF THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS THE COMMUNITIES HAVE TO COPE WITH
IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. AND SECONDLY, TRANSPORTATION NEEDS WHICH IN THE NORTH-WEST OF THE NEW TERRITORIES ARE PARTICULARLY BIG PROBLEM. THE CREATION OF NEW COMMUNITIES WITH TRANSPORTATION PERHAPS INEVITABLY LAGGING SOMEWHAT BEHIND. I WAS REMINDED ONCE AGAIN BY A NUMBER OF DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT, BEARING IN MIND THE NEEDS OF THE NORTH-WEST NEW TERRITORIES IN OUR RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND OF COURSE IN OUR ROAD BUILDING PROGRAMME AS WELL. SO WE HAVE TO GET ON WITH ROUTE 3, FOR EXAMPLE, AS RAPIDLY AS WE CAN.
QUESTION: ANY COMMENTS ON DEVELOPMENTS IN ONE OF THE TERRITORY'S NEWSROOMS?
QUESTION: THE ATV MANAGEMENT HAS ACCEPTED THE RESIGNATION OF ALL SIX SENIOR STAFF. DO YOU SEE AS A THREAT TO PRESS FREEDOM?
GOVERNOR: I THINK IT'S VERY SAD WHEN SIX SENIOR AND RESPECTED JOURNALISTS RESIGNED FROM A NEWS ORGANISATION. I THINK THAT THERE ARE TWO ISSUES WHICH PERHAPS ARE RAISED BY A CASE LIKE THIS. THE FIRST IS THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING SEPARATE THE MANAGEMENT AND THE EDITORIAL FUNCTIONS IN ANY MEDIA ORGANISATION, WHETHER A BROADCASTING COMPANY OR A NEWSPAPER. AND I THINK WE KNOW THAT NOT ONLY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE IN HONG KONG BUT FROM WIDER EXPERIENCE. SECONDLY, I THINK IT UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. PEOPLE OFTEN TALK ABOUT HONG KONG AS BEING THE BEST POSSIBLE EXAMPLE OF AN OPEN MARKET ECONOMY. I DON'T THINK IT'S A COINCIDENCE THAT HONG KONG ALSO HAS PROBABLY THE LARGEST NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS PER HEAD ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND HAS THE NUMBER OF VIBRANT BROADCASTING ORGANISATIONS AS WELL. THAT, TOO, IS AN ASPECT OF HONG KONG'S OPENNESS AND HONG KONG'S NATURE AS A PLURAL SOCIETY WHICH VALUES THE FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS. SO I THINK THESE ARE IMPORTANT MATTERS FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THEY ARE MATTERS WHICH DESERVE A GOOD DEAL OF DISCUSSION AND DEBATE. BUT I REPEAT THAT WHEN SIX DISTINGUISHED JOURNALISTS RESIGN FROM ANY ORGANISATION, IT'S A VERY SAD DAY ALL ROUND.
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK THE SITUATION WILL GET WORSE WHEN WE ARE APPROACHING THE YEAR 1997?
/GOVERNOR: