XN000022-1990-04-11 — Page 19

AU

THE

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PAK KUEN (HON KONG COMMERCIAL DAILY): EXCEPT NATIONALITY PACKAGE, AND THOSE YOU ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY, IS THERE SPECIFIC PLAN OR PROGRAMME FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, LATER ON, TO KEEP HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD?

MR MAUDE: WELL, NO SPECIFIC PLAN AT THIS STAGE, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND I, IN PARTICULAR, WILL BE WORKING HARD AND CONTRUCTIVELY TO DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT A GOOD DEAL OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE LIES IN ITS OWN HANDS. THERE HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE ABOUT ITS FUTURE POLITICAL FRAMEWORK, PARTICULARLY THE ELECTIONS 1991. IT'S, I THINK, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, THAT HONG KONG SHOWS THOSE ELECTIONS CAN SUCCEED AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHICH EMERGE FROM THAT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL, AND I THINK IT WILL BE VERY FOR HONG KONG TO TAKE ITS FUTURE. AND MAKE OF ITS FUTURE WHAT IT AND KNOWING THE AMOUNT OF HUMAN INGENUITY THAT RESIDES IN HONG KONG HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IT WILL BE VERY SUCCESSFUL INDEED.

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SALLY BLYTH (RTHK): MR MAUDE, YOU HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF GROUPS HERE AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POSITION OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES? WHY IS NOT A SPECIAL PROVISION BEING GIVEN FOR THEM IN THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE? THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ITSELF RECOMMENDED THAT A SPECIAL CASE SHOULD BE MADE FOR THE ETHNIC MINORITIES.

MR MAUDE: YES INDEED IT DID, AND WE LOOKED VERY CAREFULLY AT THAT. OBVIOUSLY THE ETHNIC MINORITIES WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEME IN ANY EVENT, AND MANY OF THEM MAY WELL QUALIFY. THAT WILL BE FOR THOSE OPERATING THE SCHEME TO DECIDE. BUT IN ANY YOU WILL BE AWARE OF THE ASSURANCE WHICH MY PREDECESSOR GAVE, I ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO NOW, WHICH STAND ABSOLUTELY FIRM NOW AND SOLID NOW AS IT WAS THEN, WHICH IS VERY SOLID.

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ADRIAN BROWN (TV-AM): MR MAUDE, DOES THAT PROMISE ALSO EXTEND TO WAR WIDOWS? BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MENTIONED IN THE NATIONALITY BILL.

MR MAUDE: NO INDEED, I AM AWARE OF THE ARGUMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD ON THAT, THEY ARE BEING LOOKED AT VERY CLOSELY AND SYMPATHETICALLY BY THE GOVERNMENT.

ADRIAN BROWN: SO CAN YOU GIVE A PROMISE THAT THEY WILL BE MADE A SPECIAL CASE?

MR MAUDE: NO, I CAN'T GIVE A PROMISE, ALL I CAN SAY IS WHAT I HAVE SAID.

DEBORAH WANG (NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO OF USA): I AM INTERESTED IN YOUR CHARACTERISATION THAT HONG KONG AND CHINA AND BRITAIN'S INTERESTS

ARE THE SAME. ESPECIALLY GIVEN CHINA'S RECENT STATEMENTS ABOUT, THREATS ABOUT THE COLONY BEING USED AS A BASE FOR SUBVERSION. AND THEIR STATEMENTS ABOUT THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE AS BEING ESSENTIALLY TANTAMOUNT TO CREATING INSTABILITY IN THE COLONY. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT, AT LEAST ON THOSE TWO ISSUES, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAVE THE SAME INTERESTS?

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