XN000022-1985-10-29 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1985

BUT ON THE BASIS OF WHAT HE HAD SEEN YESTERDAY, MR RENTON SAID THAT TO BE REALISTIC, THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY IN PRESENT CONDITIONS OF THE CLOSED CENTRES IN HONG KONG BEING FINISHED AS A MATTER OF POLICY AT THIS MOMENT.+

+BUT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN HONG KONG, GIVEN THE PRESSURE OF IMMIGRATION INTO HONG KONG, NOT LEAST FROM MAINLAND CHINA, IT MUST BE SAID THAT I DON'T THINK THE CONDITIONS WARRANT THE CLOSING OF THESE CLOSED CENTRES OR A CHANGE OF PHILOSOPHY AT THE PRESENT TIME, HE SAID.

AS TO THE REMARKS MADE IN THE REPORT THAT THE CLOSED CENTRE RESEMBLED A PRISON, MR RENTON SAID: + CAN'T HONESTLY SAY THAT WALK ING AROUND THE BOWRING CAMP YESTERDAY IN THE LIMITED TIME AVAILABLE TO ME - I'D LIKE TO SPEND LONGER THERE - BUT WHEN I SAW THE EFFORTS THAT WAS BEING PUT INTO THE PLAY GROUPS, THE CRECHE FOR THE CHILDREN, THE WORKSHOPS, I THINK THAT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT IS BEING PUT INTO MAKING THE LIFE THERE, VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION, AS TOLERABLE AS POSSIBLE.

+OF COURSE, AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF MY REMARKS YESTERDAY, ANYONE GOING INTO ANY REFUGEE CAMP IS ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF THE DISLOCATION OF THE LIVES OF THE INDIVIDUALS, HE SAID +BUT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, I THINK THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND THE EDUCATION IN THAT CLOSED CAMP ARE ADMIRABLE AND ARE MAKING LIFE THERE AS TOLERABLE AND AS USEFUL FOR THE FUTURE AS POSSIBLE,+

ASKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING ANY CHANGES TO THE PRESENT SYSTEM, MR RENTON SAID THIS WOULD DEPEND ON THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES THE NUMBER OF REDUCTION IN THE REFUGEES THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE. BOTH BECAUSE OF THE PRESENT INITIATIVE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE SUPPORT THAT WE GET INTERNATIONALLY.

ASKED WHAT ADVICE HE, AS THE NEW MINISTER OF STATE RESPONSIBLE FOR HONG KONG AFFAIRS, WOULD GIVE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG DURING THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, MR RENTON SAID HE WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN BEING AN EXPERT AFTER 48 HOURS+.

+ I THINK THAT THE WAY YOU APPROACH THIS TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IS, ABOVE ALL, A MATTER FOR YOURSELVES, FOR YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT,+ HE SAID. +I LOOK AROUND ME, I MEAN LIKE WHERE WE ARE NOW, ONE LOOKS AROUND AT THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE GOING AHEAD AT THIS PART OF HONG KONG, THE PUBLIC SECTOR BUILDING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND THE TUNNEL.

+THESE ARE NOT PROJECTS JUST FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, ARE THEY? THESE ARE PROJECTS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AHEAD. THEY SHOULD GIVE YOU ALL A GREAT DEAL OF CONFIDENCE.+