XN000022-1987-05-30 — Page 14

Q: EMILY LAU, SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT RESPONSIBILITY MAY MEAN, NOT INTRODUCING ANY FORM OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT HERE BY 19977

A: I AM NOT TRYING TO DEFINE IT IN THOSE TERMS. I AM TRYING TO DEFINE IT IN TERMS OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION FOR MAINTAINING PROSPERITY AND STABILITY, THOSE ARE THE KEY RESPONSIBILITIES. HOW ONE EVOLVES THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT, AS I HAVE JUST SAID, DEPENDS, FIRST OF ALL, WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO FINISH UP IN 1997, WHICH IS PARTLY FOR THE BASIC LAW TO DEFINE AND, PARTLY, BECAUSE A LARGE SECTOR OF THE BASIC LAW IS ALREADY DEFINED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION PARAMETERS. PARTLY ALSO ON WHAT EVOLVES BETWEEN NOW AND 1997. ONE CANNOT AT THIS STAGE SAY EXACTLY WHAT FORM OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS GOING TO BE. ONLY JUST STARTING ON THE GREEN PAPER EXERCISE.

WE ARE

Q: MAK YIU-ON, MING PAO, SIR, THE CONSULTATION PROCESS IS IN PROGRESS AND PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT PEOPLE REMAIN SILENT. WOULD YOU PROMISE THAT EXCO WOULD NOT PUT ASIDE THE OPINION EXPRESSED, AS THERE IS FEW PEOPLE GIVE THEIR VIEWS?

A: I HOPE IT'S BEEN MADE CLEAR, CERTAINLY I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT CLEAR NOW, THE GOVERNMENT WISHES AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ON THE GREEN PAPER. IT IS NOT A SIMPLE SUBJECT, AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY COMMENTED ON THE GREEN PAPER. IT DOES REQUIRE VERY CAREFUL THOUGHT, CONSIDERED OPINIONS TO BE PUT FORWARD, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO SAID THAT THOSE OPINIONS WILL BE TAKEN FULLY INTO ACCOUNT WHEN DECISIONS ARE TAKEN AT THE END OF THIS PROCESS. SO I HOPE PEOPLE ARE CLEAR THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD WISH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, INCLUDING ALL THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SPOKEN OUT YET, TO EXPRESS THE IR VIEWS, HAVING THOUGHT ABOUT THEIR VIEWS VERY CAREFULLY.

Q: JAMES TAM (SING PAO DAILY NEWS), WOULD YOU GIVE US A BRIEF ACCOUNT ON THE GOVERNMENT'S LATEST TACTICS ON OUR LONG TERM PROBLEM OF REFUGEES?

A:

Q:

A:

ARE YOU THINKING OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES?

JAMES TAM, YES.

PERHAPS I COULD SAY A NUMBER OF THINGS ON THAT. FIRST OF ALL, IT IS AN ENORMOUS PROBLEM FOR HONG KONG, HAVING TO LOOK AFTER REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM, MANY OF THEM PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CONNECTION WITH THIS TERRITORY, WHEN AT THE SAME TIME AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA, OFTEN OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOME CONNECTION WITH THIS TERRITORY.

SO THE FIRST THING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS, I AM VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE SIZE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR HONG KONG AND THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT. WE HAVE NOW GOT SOME 7 800 REFUGEES HERE. THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TOWARDS THIS IS TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLY CAN TO ENSURE THAT RESETTLEMENT CONTINUES AND INCREASES.

/WE HAVE