XN000022-1981-07-18 — Page 5

SATURDAY, JULY 18, 1981

LABOUR RESEARCH TRAINING COURSE CLOSES

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A TWO-WEEK REGIONAL TRAINING COURSE IN LABOUR RESEARCH AND STATISTICS FOR SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICERS FROM 11 COUNTRIES IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC REGION CAME TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION TODAY (SATURDAY).

OFFICIATING AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY HELD AT THE Y.C. LIANG HALL OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR. MR J.C.A. HAMMOND. PRESENTED CERTIFICATES TO

PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT OF HONG KONG.

THE TRAINING COURSE - ORGANISED BY THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION'S ASIAN REGIONAL PROJECT FOR STRENGTHENING LABOUR /MANPOWER ADMINISTRATION (ARPLA) IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT - WAS A BLEND OF LECTURES AND PRACTICAL EXERCISES.

SPEAKERS AT THE SESSIONS CAME FROM ARPLA, THE TWO LOCAL UNIVERSITIES, THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT AND THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

THE 11 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED WERE BANGLADESH, FIJI, INDIA, INDONESIA, NEPAL, PAKISTAN, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, THE PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, SRI LANKA AND THAILAND.

BESIDES ATTENDING THE TRAINING COURSE, THEY ALSO VISITED THE WO CHE ESTATE AT SHATIN TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC HOUSING IN HONG KONG,

IN HIS SPEECH, MR HAMMOND SAID THE TRAINING COURSE REPRESENTED ONE OF MANY ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY ARPLA TO IMPLEMENT ITS PROGRAMME OF ASSISTING LABOUR MINISTRIES AND DEPARTMENTS IN THE REGION TO IMPROVE THE IR LABOUR RESEARCH AND STATISTICS FUNCTIONS.

THE IDEA OF HOLDING THE TRAINING COURSE IN HONG KONG TOOK SHAPE AS FAR BACK AS 1979 DURING A VISIT HERE BY THE FORMER CHIEF TECHNICAL ADVISER OF ARPLA, MR NIKOM CHANDRAVITHUN, AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, THE LABOUR DÉPARTMENT WAS FORMALLY INVITED BY ARPLA TO ORGANISE THE COURSE.

MR HAMMOND NOTED THAT THE LAST TWO WEEKS HAD BEEN A UNIQUE AND REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR THE PARTCIPANTS.

/HE TOLD