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Governor: I have answered questions on that There's ways in which I can say the same thing disappointed when JLC talks don't go bette than they appear to be going this week. Though I say "appear to be going" because there is still some more time I'm afraid that the message left and I hope that better progress will be made isn't a new one. It's not just the last year or two or three that we haven't seen as much progress as we would like in the JLG The story goes back a very long way and I think that when people look at the effort made by Hong Kong government officials, they know that there shouldn't be any criticism of what we've been trying to do. Sometimes. we are extremely puzzled in why it is that it takes so long to make progress or issues which are of importance to Hong Kong's future and also if I may say so of some importance to China as well. But we remain hopeful and we continue to work very hard to achieve as much progress as we can. I hope that if progress hasn't been made in the first couple of days of the JLG, there will be some more progress tomorrow But that's a matter which I'm sure Chinese officials will want to answer about in due course. The CFA is one of the issues on which we would like to see greater progress. I said earlier that we were very puzzled about why an issue which is of such fundamental importance to Hong Kong seemed to be taking so much time on the Chinese side. There's all sort of speculations that I've read in the newspapers and heard talked about on the radio and television. I don't know whether any of that speculation is true or not What I do know is that whenever Chinese officials are asked by business leaders or by foreign audiences or here in Hong Kong about the rule of law, they put their hand on their heart and One can show how promised that they're absolute committed to it. committed one is to the rule of law and by the progress that's been made on the Court of Final Appeal.
Question: This assassination of the ICAC witness in Singapore. Do you think this is time to... the witness protection programme?
Governor: Well I think as the ICAC have made clear protection was offered to this particular witness who was in Singapore don't want to comment on the details of the case though it is a case we have been pursuing extremely seriously. And what appears to have happened will I think underline the fact that we have been right to take this particular case very seriously. But obviously it would not be helpful to the ICAC. or to the Police either here or in Singapore for me to comment in any more detail on that point.