XN000022-1988-04-19 — Page 28

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1988

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SALLY BLYTH, FROM RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG: I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE EMIGRATION PROBLEM WHICH YOU ADDRESSED EARLIER AND YOU SAID THAT WAYS TO TRY TO OVERCOME THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT THE ECONOMY IS BUOYANT AND TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE. BUT SURELY THE BASIC PROBLEM IS ONE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE. WHAT MORE DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO TO ADDRESS THIS?

WHY TO

H.E. I SAID THAT THE ECONOMY AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE BECAUSE THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY TACKLE. YOU CAN SEIZE ON THE PROBLEM AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. CONFIDENCE AND PRECISE REASONS PEOPLE DECIDE THAT THEY WILL MOVE OR STAY ARE VERY MUCH HARDER GRASP. I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY SIMPLE MOVES THAT ONE CAN MAKE ΤΟ ENSURE THAT PEOPLE DON'T DECIDE THAT THEY WILL LOOK FOR AN INSURANCE POLICY ELSEWHERE. THEY TAKE THOSE DECISIONS FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS TRY TO SEIZE ON THE CONCRETE VISIBLE PROBLEMS AND DEAL WITH THEM AS BEST YOU CAN.

SALLY BLYTH: SURELY PEOPLE AREN'T JUST LOOKING FOR AN INSURANCE POLICY. THE RECENT SURVEYS HAVE SHOWN THAT IN FACT LESS PEOPLE THAN IN FACT THE GOVERNMENT ANTICIPATED ARE ACTUALLY RETURNING TO HONG KONG; PEOPLE ARE MOVING OUT FOR GOOD.

H.E. I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY GOVERNMENT ANTICIPATED.

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+

FIGURE FOR "LESS THAN THE

SALLY BLYTH: WELL, LESS THAN WAS THOUGHT. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE RETURNING TO HONG KONG. IN FACT IT SHOWS THAT PEOPLE AREN'T.

H.E. WELL, TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN PIN DOWN FIGURES, THE FIGURES ARE VERY UNRELIABLE, BECAUSE WE DON'T KEEP STATISTICS WHO GOES AND WHY, TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN PIN IT DOWN NUMBER OF, THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE RETURNING IS ABOUT AND I SAY THOSE FIGURES WITH A GREAT DEAL OF CAUTION CANNOT BE PRECISE.

AND

ON

AT ALL THE 17 PER CENT BECAUSE THEY

ROBERT COTTRELL, FROM THE INDEPENDENT: IS THERE ANY QUESTION

OF.

*

H.E. SORRY, I FAILED TO ANSWER

TELL ME WHAT THE PART OF YOUR QUESTION WAS, I DIDN'T ANSWER IT.

++

OTHER

SALLY BLYTH: I CAN'T REMEMBER! I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, ARE GOVERNMENT HAPPY WITH THAT 17 PER CENT?

H.E. WE WOULD BE HAPPY IF WE HAD 100 PER CENT COMING BACK, MUCH HAPPIER. BUT THE ONLY POINT I WOULD MAKE IS THAT THE MORE THAT COME BACK, THE BETTER. IF PEOPLE GO BECAUSE THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE AND IT IS NOT SURPRISING AFTER ALL THAT SOME PEOPLE SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE AND THAT SOME PEOPLE SHOULD WANT TO GET AN INSURANCE POLICY IF THEY CAN, WE WOULD LIKE AS MANY PEOPLE, MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, TO COME BACK AND HELP TO CONTRIBUTE TO HONG KONG LIFE.

/ROBERT COTTRELL: