THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1994
MR MAN SAI-CHEONG:
WELL MR GOVERNOR, I FIND WHAT YOU'VE SAID A BIT FAR-FETCHED. THE HISTORY BOOKS FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND, THEY ARE TAUGHT TO EVALUATE THE SOURCES AND THEY WON'T SET ANY TIME LIMITS. I THINK THAT WILL BE A DOUBLE STANDARD IF THAT IS THE CASE IN THE UK AND NOT THE CASE IN HONG KONG.
THE GOVERNOR:
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WELL, AS I SAID, BECAUSE OF THE CONTROVERSY, BECAUSE OF THE ROW THAT HAS ARISEN OVER THIS, WE'VE ASKED THOSE WHO GIVE THIS ADVICE ON THE CURRICULUM TO HAVE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE
I THINK IT IS TOO STRONG TO PUT IT AS A 20 YEAR RULE BUT THE VIEW THAT HAS BEEN TAKEN THAT HISTORY SHOULD END AT SOME PERIOD A COUPLE OF DECADES AGO.
AN THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS ENTIRELY RIGHT THAT IT'S PART IMPORTANT
OF LEARNING HISTORY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BALANCE THE EVIDENCE, TO BALANCE THE FACTS, AND LEARN TO COME TO SOMETHING APPROXIMATING TO A TRUE ANALYSIS OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST AND IN THAT WAY ONE LEARNS MORE ABOUT THE PRESENT. I DON'T THINK THERE IS AN INCH OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND MYSELF ABOUT- THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GOOD TEACHING OF HISTORY AND I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND MYSELF ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE IN A FREE SOCIETY OF ENSURING THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO LEARN EVERYTHING, EVEN THOSE THINGS THAT MIGHT BE INCONVENIENT.
MR LAU CHIN-SHEK (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
THANK YOU, MR PRESIDENT.
FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE GOVERNOR SAID A MOMENT AGO THAT
AT CONCERNING YESTERDAY'S AMENDMENT THERE WAS A CONSENSUS LAB. NOW I CAN LET YOU KNOW, MR GOVERNOR, THAT THERE WAS NO CONSENSUS. THIS IS NOT MY POINT.
WE
NOW MY POINT IS, YESTERDAY IN THE LEGCO SITTING SAID THAT SOME BUSINESSMEN FROM HONG KONG DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA ARE DETAINED AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT CANNOT GET HOLD OF INFORMATION ABOUT THEM. MR GOVERNOR, WHAT METHODS DO YOU HAVE IN MIND ΤΟ MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE DETAINEES FROM HONG KONG IN CHINA AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY WILL BE RELEASED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WHEN MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD VISITS CHINA WILL YOU GET HIM ΤΟ TALK TO CHINA ABOUT THAT? IN THE CASE OF X1 YANG, WILL YOU ALSO GET MR GOODLAD TO VISIT MR XI YANG AND GET HIM TO BE RELEASED FROM CHINA?
THE GOVERNOR:
ON THE FIRST POINT, WHEREVER A MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY, WHENEVER ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS IS IN THE SORT OF DIFFICULTIES WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER REFERS TO, THEN THE PRESENT SOVEREIGN POWER WOULD FEEL IT PROPER AND RIGHT TO TAKE UP THE ISSUE WITH THE FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWER. SO WE WOULD PURSUE MATTERS LIKE THAT BOTH THROUGH OUR EMBASSY IN PEKING AND THROUGH CONTACTS IN LONDON BETWEEN THE FOREIGN OFFICE AND THE AMBASSADOR OF THE PRC IN LONDON AND I THINK THOSE ARE THE RIGHT CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION. AND ANY PARTICULAR CASE WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WISHES US TO TAKE UP OR WISHES TO BE BROUGHT TO MR GOODLAD'S ATTENTION BEFORE HE GOES TO PEKING, WE WOULD BE VERY PLEASED TO RECEIVE AND PURSUE IN A WAY WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SUGGESTS.
SO
AS FOR THE CASE OF XI YANG WHICH HAS CAUSED MUCH GENUINE AND WIDESPREAD CONCERN IN THE COMMUNITY, I WILL CERTAINLY DRAW WHAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SAID TO THE MINISTER'S ATTENTION BEFORE HIS VISIT TO PEKING IN A WEEK OR SO'S TIME.
/MR HOWARD