XN000022-1987-01-16 — Page 42

t

13

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1987

CANDY TONG

(SING TAO JIH PAO): SIR DAVID, WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENT ON THE POSSIBILITY OF THE NEW AIRPORT PROPOSALS MADE RECENTLY BY LOCAL BUSINESSMEN.

SIR DAVID: I AM OF COURSE AWARE OF THE PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD ON AN AIRPORT AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANTAU ISLAND. I THINK THAT THEY ARE AT PRESENT BEING STUDIED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, AND BEFORE THAT STUDY IS COMPLETED THERE IS NOT ANYTHING THAT I MYSELF WOULD WANT TO SAY ABOUT THEM,

IRENE SUNG

(SING TAO): SIR DAVID, DO YOU HAVE ANY PRECONCEIVED IDEA ABOUT HOW

HONG KONG IS TO BE RUN DURING THIS TRANSITIONAL PERIOD?

SIR DAVID I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE ANY PRECONCEIVED IDEAS THAT I

COULD PUT INTO ONE SENTENCE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A HONG KONG CONTINUING WHICH IS DYNAMIC AND PROSPEROUS AND ALSO A HUMANE SOCIETY, AND ONE WHICH HAS CONFIDENCE IN ITSELF AND IN ITS OWN FUTURE.

TSANG TO-WAH

(HK TIMES): SIR DAVID, IN THE FIELD OF HONG KONG DOMESTIC AFFAIR,

WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?

SIR DAVID: SORRY TO REPEAT AN ANSWER WHICH I GAVE BEFORE, BUT THE POINT I MADE BEFORE WAS THAT WHAT I NOW HAVE TO DO IS START A PROCESS OF STUDYING IN GREAT DEPTH THE VARIOUS PLANS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, TALK TO PEOPLE, BOTH OFFICIALS AND UNOFFICIALS, AND ONLY THEN WILL I ESTABLISH MY OWN IDEAS ABOUT WHAT PRIORITIES SHOULD BE,

JOHN CHAN: WELL, THANK YOU SIR DAVID. I THINK WE ALL WOULD HAVE

WISHED FOR MORE TIME, BUT WE MUST NOW DRAW THIS PRESS CONFERENCE TO A CLOSE. BUT BEFORE SIGNING OFF, MAY I ASK YOU SIR DAVID IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY.

SIR DAVID: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PERHAPS THERE IS ONE THING I

MIGHT SAY, AND THAT IS THAT IT'S SOON GOING TO BE LUNAR NEW YEAR I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WISH ALL OF YOU AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG A HAPPY AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

(IN PUTONGHUA) I WISH TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY OF THIS PRESS CONFERENCE TO WISH YOU AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

(IN CANTONESE) I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD NIGHT.

JOHN CHAN: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR DAVID, WE ALL LOOK FORWARD

TO SEEING YOU IN HONG KONG IN APRIL.