XN000022-1990-01-15 — Page 8

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1990

HE SAID MANY OF THE VARYING

THOUGHTS AND ARGUMENTS WERE EXPRESSED IN THE DISTRICT BOARD MEETING HE ATTENDED.

"THE EXPRESSION OF VIEWS IN THERE WAS VERY VARIED AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, " HE SAID.

"I OBVIOUSLY LISTENED TO THEM ALL AND WE MUST ABSORB AS MANY VIEWS AS WE CAN WHILE MAKING THIS DECISION, HE ADDED.

MR HURD POINTED OUT THERE WOULD BE A SUBSTANTIAL MOVE TOWARDS DEMOCRATIC ELECTION IN 1991, A MOVE WHICH WOULD BE MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED IN THE WHITE PAPER TWO YEARS AGO.

"

"EXACTLY WHAT THE FIGURE, THE OPENING FIGURE, WILL BE, THAT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE YET TO DECIDE, HE SAID, ADDING THAT IT WOULD NOT BE A VERY LONG DELAY IN DECIDING IT.

то

SO

ASKED IF HE THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE A SHIFT IN CHINA'S POLICY WITH THE REPORTED APPOINTMENT OF MR ZHOU NAN AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY, THE FOREIGN SECRETARY SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT HAVE IN HONG KONG SOMEONE WHO CLEARLY WAS INFLUENTIAL IN PEKING THAT MATTERS WHICH HAD TO BE DISCUSSED COULD BE DISCUSSED IN AUTHORITATIVE WAY.

AN

FOREIGN SECRETARY ATTENDS DB MEETING

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MR

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, DOUGLAS HURD, ATTENDED A MEETING OF THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON WHERE HE HEARD MEMBERS' VIEWS ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES AFFECTING HONG KONG.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR PETER HURD WAS MET AT THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT OFFICE BY DISTRICT CHAIRMAN, MR LAM HANG-FAI, AND DISTRICT OFFICER, MR CHRIS WAN.

MR

TSAO, BOARD

ITEMS ON THE DISTRICT BOARD'S AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION INCLUDED THE MANDATORY REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE; THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE PROPOSED FOR HONG KONG BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT; AND THE FUTURE POLITICAL REFORM IN HONG KONG.

THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD COMPRISES 24 ELECTED AND 12 APPOINTED MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT A TOTAL POPULATION OF 630,000. BOARD MEMBERS COME FROM A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY RANGING FROM HOUSEWIVES TO MERCHANTS,

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