XN000022-1983-09-28 — Page 15

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1983

Q:

LOCAL RULE AND SELF-GOVERNMENT IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID?

MR LUCE: +COULD YOU JUST REPEAT EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID?

Q: +DO YOU THINK LOCAL RULE, SELF-GOVERNMENT, IS POSSIBLE IN HONG KONG AND DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO OUR SOCIETY?

THE

A: +WELL, IN ONE SENSE I THINK THAT GOES BACK TO THE POINT I MADE EARLIER THAT I HAVE NOTICED VERY MUCH AT A COMMUNITY LEVEL WAY IN WHICH THERE IS FAR GREATER PARTICIPATION BY PEOPLE IN THE IR OWN AFFAIRS. IT WAS ONLY THIS MORNING THAT I WAS SITTING IN ON A MEETING OF THE SHA TIN DISTRICT BOARD AT WHICH I WAS ABLE TO HEAR THEM, AN ELEMENT OF WHICH WAS ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE, WITH THE PRESS LISTENING IN TO THE PROCEEDINGS, REPORTING AND DECIDING ON CERTAIN COMMUNITY PROBLEMS - AT THAT LEVEL, YES, CERTAINLY. THE VERY STATUS, OF COURSE, OF HONG KONG IS SOMETHING THAT I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU MAKES THE QUESTION OF ELECTIONS AT A BROADER LEVEL MORE DIFFICULT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S FULLY UNDERSTOOD AND HAS BEEN OVER THE YEARS. ON THE QUESTION OF AUTONOMY, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE RAISING, AGAIN REALLY, HONG KONG IS CREATED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE MADE UP 98 PER CENT, AM I RIGHT, OF HONG KONG CHINESE, AND THIS IT SEEMS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

Q: WHAT I MEAN IS LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITHOUT BRITISH PRESENCE. A: +WELL, AGAIN IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT, POST '97 - ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT NOW, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

Q: +POST '97.

-

At +WELL I THINK I HAVE TO ANSWER YOU IN A FASHION WHICH YOU'LL FIND JUST A LITTLE TEDIOUS AND I NEED SAY NO MORE.

Q: +YOU HAVE TWICE REFERRED TO HONG KONG AS A COUNTRY

A1 +I'M SO SORRY, AS A TERRITORY, HONG KONG AS A TERRITORY - 1 DO APOLOGISE, IF THERE'S ANY MISUNDERSTANDING, I MEANT A TERRITORY.

Q: +MINISTER, YOU SAY THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE DOING THE HONG KONG PEOPLE A SERVICE IF DETAILS OF THE NEGOTIATING POSITION WERE BROUGHT OUT IN PUBLIC, BUT HOW MUCH OF A SERVICE ARE YOU DOING THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG BY MAKING NO MENTION, NO COMMENT, ON THE PROGRESS OF THE TALKS? YOU HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE LAST ROUND OF TALKS ENDED, THE HONG KONG DOLLAR FELL ITS LARGEST INCREMENT ON SATURDAY, PEOPLE SWAMPED THE STORES STOCKING UP IN CASE OF IMMINENT PRICE RISES AND CIVIL DISTURBANCES. THE GOVERNMENT YESTERDAY HAD TO BUY A BANK TO AVOID A WHOLESALE RUN ON THE BANKING SYSTEM. THIS ALL FOLLOWED THE END OF THE TALKS ON FRIDAY BECAUSE THERE WAS NO STATEMENT. HOW MUCH OF A SERVICE IS BRITAIN DOING HONG KONG IN MAKING NO REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF THE

A: +I MUST