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Transcript of the Governor's media session
Following is a transcript of the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten's question-and-answer session after his speech at the Peat Marwick Conference today (Monday):
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Question: Governor, what is your reaction the British Home Secretary has rejected your suggestion for granting passports to three million people in Hong Kong - what do you have to say?
Governor: I'm not very surprised. He set out his views courteously and firmly. I think the Labour Party have expressed similar views. The British Government's and the Labour Party's position seems to have remained the same. Our position has been the same. For example, we had a debate in the Legislative Council last October and the Secretary for Security on that occasion set out the Government's policy. The three official members - because we then had votes in the Legislative Council voted in favour of the motion on the subject and I repeated the same thoughts on Friday.
Question: But will you be pushing hard for it?
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Governor: Well, for several years under my predecessor and under my governorship we've had quite a long agenda of nationality issues of which obviously the basic one since David Wilson first put it forward has been about BDTC passport holders. But there have been others as well, including the position of war widows, and the position of the ethnic minorities, and those are on the agenda whenever we have the relevant meetings, either in London or here.
Question: Mr Patten, for those who say it would change the nature of British society to allow three-and-a-half-million Hong Kong Chinese the right of abode in Britain, what do you say to people like that?
Governor: I say, listen to what I said last Friday and what others have said. I set out what has been consistently the Hong Kong Government's position and it would be, I guess, surprising if I didn't do so. I think people would have been more surprised if, last Friday, I'd announced a U-turn, but I guess that it was a slow news week-end.
Question: Were you surprised by the virulence of the response of some sections of British politics to your comments?