XN000022-1979-11-18 — Page 9

PR 30

香港政府

GIS

新聞處

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN

SUPPLEMENT

SPEECH BY H.E. THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR JACK CAFER, KRE JP

AT THE OPENING OF THE TSUEN WAN ANTI-NARCOTICS

CAMPAIGN ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1979 AT 3 PM

Since the first ACAN Campaign was held here in 1973, Tsuen Wan New Town's population has increased by over 50 per cent (from 400 000 to

630 000). It has achieved increasing importance as an industrial and

commercial centre, and its container terminal ranks as one of the top

four in the world. A quarter of its population consists of school-children, and its 150 000 industrial workers are mostly young, in the 18 to 30 years

age range. It illustrates, in short, the fast growth, vitality, hardwork

and enterprise which have distinguished Hong Kong's development.

But in all mobile societies, the very process of rapid change is

often accompanied by considerable stress both on the individual and on the

family, when old habits, attitudes and routines have to be adapted to the

new surroundings and circumstances. The great majority of Hong Kong's

people have shown their capacity to overcome the undoubted strains and

frustrations of living and working in high-density and quick-moving

conditions, but there are others who are not so fortunate, who find themselves

unable to cope and who turn to drugs or crime or to both,

We have had in our midst for many years a major social problem

of drug abuse, which is not only destructive to the addict himself, but is of enormous potential danger to his family and to the community of which

he is part. We recognised this threat many years ago, and have taken

energetic action to deal with it, through carefully coordinated programmes of

law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, preventive education and publicity, and international action. The success of our efforts, achieved

/after

Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191