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Question: Do you think for fairness in the budget team, do you think they should avoid conflict of interest .....?
Governor: I am sure that the Chinese officials have considered the point of our conflict of interest. But you'd better address those questions to Director Lu Ping or Ambassador Zhao or to other Chinese officials there. It's not one for me.
Question: Talking about the Sevens and underage drinking down underage drinking
ME
drugs?
more done to crack
Governor: I think that the best way of tackling the issue is do the sort of life education that we've seen here. One of the important lessons which I think was being got across to children here is the importance of withstanding peer pressures. Peer pressures are something that we confront at every age. But I think they can be particularly difficult to cope with when you are young, when you are dealing with others who may have a particularly charismatic if youth personality. I think having the self confidence to say no to things that you recognise are bad for you, having that self confidence is something that's important for children to recognise. Frankly, it is important for all of us to recognise it. I think I started smoking when I was a student because my parents smoked and because most of my peers smoked. Back in the middle ages when I was growing up, smoking I think was far more common among young people than it is today. That may have had something to do with the fact that there's been so much evidence since then about the impact of smoking on health and that there's been so much more life education for young people. I believe very strongly that knowing how to say no firmly but courteously is an important way of living a happy life.
Question: So what about underage drinking?
Governor: Nobody can approve of underage drinking or of doing anything else which is illegal.
Question: (inaudible)
Governor: I think if there are particular occasions which encourage underage drinking, we have to take that into account and we have to try to stop it in future. But by and large, the overwhelming impression that I get from something like the Sevens, and I think most visitors get from something like the Sevens is unlike sporting events in some other countries, this is one which is conducted extraordinarily peacefully and even though there're quite a few people there who have to borrow a phrase clearly had taken refreshment, they nevertheless by and large behaved pretty well. So people had fun over the weekend but they didn't give the police the sort of problems which we see often occurring in Europe and other countries and I hope we can long continue in Hong Kong to enjoy ourselves without causing problems. Thank you very much indeed.
End/Tuesday, March 28, 1995