XN000022-1980-07-03 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1980

GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE'S SPIRITUAL NEEDS

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BESIDES PROVIDING BASIC FACILITIES SUCH AS HOUSING, MEDICAL SERVICES AND EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT RECOGNISES THAT IT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE'S SPIRITUAL NEEDS, ACTING SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR AUGUSTINE CHUI KÂM, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).

MR CHUI WAS SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY MARKING THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE TAI HING COMMUNITY HALL IN TUEN MUN.

HE SAID GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE'S SPIRITUAL NEEDS TO BUILD A BALANCED COMMUNITY, STRENGTHEN LINKS AMONG RESIDENTS AND PROMOTE A SENSE OF BELONGING.

MR CHUI SAID TAI HING ESTATE WOULD HAVE A POPULATION OF 45 000 IN A FEW MONTHS.

HE SAID THAT DUE TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG PEOPLE'S LIVING STANDARDS HAD BEEN RAISED AND THEIR LIVING ENVIRONMENT GREATLY IMPROVED.

MR CHUI SAID HE WAS GLAD TO SEE THE ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT BEING GIVEN BY RESIDENTS TO COMMUNITY HALL ACTIVITIES, WHICH INDICATED A BIG STEP FORWARD IN COMMUNITY BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT.

IT WAS THE AIM OF GOVERNMENT TO ENCOURAGE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION BY PEOPLE IN IMPROVING FACILITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN LOCAL DISTRICTS.

THIS WAS ALSO THE OBJECT OF THE RECENT GREEN PAPER ON DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION WHICH HOPED TO BRING ABOUT BETTER CO-ORDINATION OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATION AND SWIFTER RESPONSES BY GOVERNMENT TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE, HE POINTED OUT.

MR CHUI SAID THE COMMUNITY HALL PROVIDED CULTURAL AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR ESTATE RESIDENTS DURING THEIR LEISURE TIME.

+I HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF IT. THROUGH THE ACTIVITIES PROVIDED, YOU WILL FIND HOW DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN PLANNING AND ORGANISING PROJECTS AFFECTS THE IR SUCCESS. ALSO, YOU WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND GOVERNMENT POLICY IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.+

THE TWO-STOREY COMMUNITY HALL, WITH A TOTAL AREA OF MORE THAN 3 700 SQUARE METRES, IS RUN BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND IS USED BY ESTATE RESIDENTS OF ALL AGES.

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