XN000022-1989-01-11 — Page 46

8

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1989

DAVID SCHLESINGER: COULD YOU PUT IT ANOTHER WAY?

LORD

GLENARTHUR: WELL, THERE ARE SOME FAIRLY FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES TO MAKE. ONE IS FRANKLY THE QUESTION OF NUMBERS. THERE ARE ABOUT 100,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED IN MACAU AS I UNDERSTAND IT AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THREE OR SO MILLION HERE. SO THERE IS A PRACTICAL SIDE OF IT. THERE ARE A WHOLE DIFFERENT. A RANGE OF DIFFERENT ISSUES WHICH ARE CONCERNED HERE. I HAVE SAID THAT I DO NOT SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER CHANGES IN BRITISH NATIONALITY LAW TO THAT BUT AS I HAVE ALSO SAID, SOMETHING WHICH I HAVE GOT TO AND I WILL DO WHEN 1 GET BACK.

REFLECT LOOK AT

WONG SAU-YING (AFP) (QUESTION ASKED IN CANTONESE): I WOULD LIKE ΤΟ REFER ΤΟ THE VR PROBLEM. YOU HAVE ASSURED US OF THE UK GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO THIS PROBLEM. YOU SAY THAT IN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS, YOU INCREASE YOUR INTAKE BY ABOUT 1,000 PEOPLE. BUT IF OTHER COUNTRIES DO NOT INCREASE INTAKE SIGNIFICANTLY, WHAT WILL BE THE NEXT STEP TAKEN BY THE UK GOVERNMENT?

LORD GLENARTHUR: WELL, AS 1 HAVE SAID, I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT OTHER COUNTRIES WILL RESPOND. LET'S NOT CROSS HURDLES BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GET TO THEM. THE FACT 18 THAT WE HAVE MOUNTED THIS VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN. OTHER CAMPAIGNS IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL, LEVERAGE THAT OUR RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT MADE WILL, I AM THE RIGHT SORT OF RESPONSE.

SURE,

AND THE PROVIDE

JULIE MAPLESTON (ATV): LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT BRITAIN SHOULD PROPOSE A THREE YEAR PLAN TO SOLVE THE WHOLE REFUGEE PROBLEM. IS THAT UNREALISTIC AND HAVE YOU DISCUSSED IT WITH THEM?

LORD GLENARTHUR: IT WAS CERTAINLY MENTIONED. WHETHER OR NOT IT IS REALISTIC DEPENDS VERY MUCH ON THE PROGRESS THAT 15 MADE ACROSS THE BOARD. PART OF THE ISSUE IS RESETTLEMENT. PART OF IT IS THE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE TO TRY AND SOLVE THE VIETNAM PROBLEM, ALLIED WITH CAMBODIA AND EVERYTHING ELSE. RESETTLEMENT, RFPATRIATION, THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL DIMENSION OF THE PROBLEMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ALL PLAY THEIR PART, SO ONE CAN'T SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT IT IS REALISTIC BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I'D HOPE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE VERY RAPID PROGRESS.

SERENA CHOI (EXPRESS): YOU SAID THE DIFFERENCE OF MACAU AND HONG KONG IS THE NUMBER. DO YOU MEAN THAT IF THE BRITISH ISSUE THE BRITISH PASSPORT TO HONG KONG, YOU MEAN THE HONG KONG PEOPLE, YOU ARE AFRAID THE HONG KONG PEOPLE ALL GO TO BRITAIN, SO YOUR COUNTRY DON'T ISSUE THE BRITISH PASSPORT TO HIONG KONG, SO DO YOU, WERE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT, THEY 1SSUED THE EC COUNTRY PASSPORT TO MACAU, YOU DON'T HAVE CONFIDENCE OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE?

/LORD GLENARTHUR: