XN000022-1988-10-20 — Page 24

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1988

22

EXPO WOULD PUT STRAINS ON RESOURCES

THE HON NELLIE FONG

SAID IN

THE

LEGISLATIVE

(THURSDAY) THAT SHE WAS AGAINST THE IDEA OF HOSTING AN KONG IN 1997.

COUNCIL

TODAY

EXPO IN HONG

WERE THE STRAINS SHE LIMITED RESOURCES, POSSIBLY SERIOUS BOTTLENECK IT

THE MAIN REASONS FOR OPPOSING THE IDEA BELIEVED IT WOULD PUT ON HONG KONG'S SETTING BACK OTHER PRIORITY PROJECTS, AND THE WOULD CREATE AT THE AIRPORT, SHE SAID.

SHE SAID THAT ON A STRICT DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR NOT NORMALLY GET CLOSE TO BREAKING EVEN.

BASIS, EXPOS DID

WHICH CLAIMED

MRS FONG SAID: "IN MY VIEW, COUNTRIES BEEN PROFITABLE IN HOSTING EXPOS HAVE GIVEN VALUES TO CERTAIN FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WERE LEFT BEHIND.

TO HAVE OF THE

ΤΟ BE A SIGNIFICANT 'IN HONG KONG'S CASE, THERE IS UNLIKELY

AND WILL NEED TO SIMILAR RESIDUAL VALUE AS WE ARE SO SHORT OF LAND CONVERT THE SITE TO AN ALTERNATIVE USE SHORTLY AFTER THE EVENT.

SHE ADDED THAT SHE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MORE THAN JUST THE COST.

SHE NOTED THAT THE PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY

COMMISSIONED BY THE RESOURCES NECESSARY

HON STEPHEN CHEONG DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT AN EXPO.

ALL THIS WOULD IN FLYOVERS, EXTENSIONS TO THE UTILITIES AND SO ON.

LIKELIHOOD

ADDITIONAL INCLUDE

ROADS AND

MASS TRANSIT

RAILWAY,

CONNECTIONS

FOR

AND LABOUR

MATERIALS,

WILL

甲申

AND THERE

BE PROGRESSES, SHE

"WE ALSO NEED INCONVENIENCE TO THE GENERAL POPULATION AS THE WORK

NOTED.

AN SHE WAS WORRIED THAT TO COMMIT HUGE AMOUNTS OF RESOURCES TO

PROJECTS INCLUDING A NEW EXPO WOULD AFFECT OTHER MAJOR DEVELOPMENT AIRPORT, NEW PORT FACILITIES, TRUNK ROADS, TUNNELS AND HOUSING.

KONG

THAT EXPO VISITORS AIRPORT, INTERNATIONAL

MRS FONG SAID ANOTHER OF HER CONCERNS WAS WOULD ADD AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN TO HONG WHICH WOULD REACH A SATURATION POINT SOME YEARS BEFORE 1997.

BE AT SHE SAID THE ADDITIONAL VISITORS WHO CAME TO EXPO WOULD

TRAVELLING FOR BUSINESS THE EXPENSE OF THOSE WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE OR OTHER PURPOSES.

THEY

BUSINESSMEN COULD NOT NORMALLY PLAN THEIR

THE FIRST AHEAD. ACCORDINGLY, FLIGHTS WERE FULL.

WOULD

BE

FLIGHTS SIX MONTHS

WHEN TO SUFFER

THE

"THE IMPACT OF THIS ON HONG KONG'S ECONOMY COULD BE SERIOUS OUR EXPORTERS HAVE TROUBLE GETTING ON PLANES TO LEAVE OR TO RETURN

SHE SAID. HONG KONG DURING THE PERIOD OF THE EXPO,

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/23

IF

ΤΟ