XN000022-1987-11-04 — Page 37

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1987

ANOTHER AREA OF PARTICULAR INTEREST AT PRESENT WAS THE POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION, IN THE TERRITORY, OF SOME FORM OF COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEM.

BUSINESS

FOR EXAMPLE, THE NETWORK WOULD FACILITATE TRANSACTIONS BY REPLACING CONVENTIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMMUNICATION WITH ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TRADING COMPANIES, BANKERS, INSURANCE COMPANIES, CARRIERS AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS WITH LICENSING, CUSTOMS DECLARATIONS, QUOTA CONTROL ETC.

CONCERNED

"SIMILARLY, IT WOULD FALL ΤΟ THE COMMITTEE TO PROVIDE SAFEGUARDS AGAINST COMPUTER-RELATED CRIMES; AND AGAINST THE MISUSE OF THE SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL CREDIT COMMONLY REFERRED ΤΟ AS ELECTONIC MONEY," HE SAID.

PROF POON SAID THE POLICY OF THE TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY TO AND FROM HONG KONG WOULD BE A TOPIC OF CONCERN, AS THE TERRITORY'S INDUSTRIES LOOKED TO STEP INTO THE FUTURE, AND THUS EMBRACED MORR

HIGH TECHNOLOGY.

LASERS AND RADIO ISOTOPES HAD GAINED A GREAT DEAL SIGNIFICANCE IN RECENT YEARS BECAUSE OF THEIR WIDE SPHERE APPLICATION IN SUCH FIELDS AS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, MEDICINE. BUILDING AND THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, HE WENT ON.

OF OF

THE

THE QUESTION OF SAFETY CONTROLS IN BOTH AREAS WAS ONE TO WHICH THE COMMITTEE COULD GIVE SERIOUS AND INFORMED CONSIDERATION.

HE SAID YET ANOTHER AREA OF WORK FOR THE COMMITTER WOULD BE THAT OF LICENSING IN SUCH PROFESSIONS AS ENGINEERING.

TURNING ΤΟ THE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE, PROF POON SUGGESTED THAT THE CHAIRMAN BE CHOSEN NOT FROM AMONG MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT BUT FROM THE INDEPENDENT PUBLIC.

LIKEWISE, THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE SHOULD COMPRISE DIRECTORS, OR THEIR DEPUTIES, OF THE RELEVANT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, AND REPRESENTATIVES DRAWN FROM THE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AND THOSE WORKING MORE GENERALLY IN THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

WILL HAVE

LOCAL

"IT IS, FURTHERMORE, TO BE HOPED THAT THE COMMITTEE THE OPPORTUNITY ΤΟ HOLD INFREQUENT MEETINGS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL. RODIES IN ORDER ΤΟ ENCOURAGE THE INPUT OF IDEAS AT AN INFORMAL LEVEL, HE SAID.

ON THE SUBJECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, PROF POON SAID THE RAPID DETERIORATION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT HAD BEEN OBVIOUS TO ANYONE LIVING IN HONG KONG, FOR SOME YEARS NOW. HE FELT THAT IT HAD NOW REACHED THE STAGE WHERE URGENT INTERVENTION WAS NECESSARY.

/HE NOTED