XN000022-1984-05-30 — Page 9

WIONESDAY, MAY 30, 1984

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CHE SAID THE TWO GOVERNMENTS SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED WITH THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE+.

+HOW TO COPE WITH THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE+ HAS BEEN A CONSTANTLY RECURRING THEME IN HONG KONG'S HISTORY, BUT NO PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY IS COMPARABLE WITH THE EVENTS UNFOLDING TODAY, SHE SAID.

SHE SAID THAT IF THE AGREEMENT +PROVIDES SATISFACTORY ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS POSED IN THE UMELCO STATEMENT, THEN THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL FACE UP TO THE FUTURE WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND WITH CONFIDENCE.+

+ BUT IF THE AGREEMENT DOES NOT, THEN THE PRESENT DAY VERSION OF THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE WILL NOT BE RESOLVED AS IN THE PAST, SHE ADDED,

PUBLIC STRONGLY SUPPORT UMELCO

***

THE GENERAL PUBLIC AGREED WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UMELCO DELEGATION AND FULLY SUPPORTED ITS POSITION PAPER, THE HON MRS PAULINE NG SAID AT THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE TODAY.

SHE EXPLAINED THAT THE PAPER WAS BASED ON INFORMATION GATHERED THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS - PUBLIC VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE PRESS AND ON PUBLIC OCCASIONS; REPRESENTATIONS RECEIVED BY THE UMELCO OFFICE MEMBERS' CONTACT WITH THE PEOPLE THROUGH THE VARIOUS ADVISORY BOARDS AND CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES, THE URBAN COUNCIL, THE HEUNG YEE KUK, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL ORGANISATIONS AND OTHER CIVIC BODIES.

+UMELCO MEMBERS HAVE ALSO ATTENDED SPECIAL DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS HELD TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AT FIRST HAND THE OPINION OF RESIDENTS IN THE DISTRICTS,+ SHE RECALLED.

+THE POSITION PAPER WAS BASED ON INFORMATION GATHERED THROUGH THESE CHANNELS, AND UMELCO THEREFORE AGREE UNANIMOUSLY THAT IT IS AN ACCURATE REFLECTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON THE FUTURE OF THE TERRITORY, SHE SAID.

SHE NOTED THAT IN RESPONSE TO CRITICISM FROM SOME MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT THAT UMELCO COULD NOT REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THE PUBLIC SHOWED THE IR SUPPORT TO THE DELEGATION BY SENDING TO LONDON TELEX MESSAGES AND TELEGRAMS.

+ALTOGETHER MORE THAN EIGHT THOUSAND INDIVIDUALS, 1 500 ORGANISATIONS, FIFTEEN DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR THE UMELCO DELEGATION'S ACTION AND THE POSITION PAPER, SHE SAID.

+THE DELEGATION AS WELL AS UMELCO MEMBERS IN HONG KONG WERE GREATLY ENCOURAGED BY THESE TELEGRAMS AND LETTERS, SHE ADDED.

/SOME DISTRICT