XN000022-1990-09-04 — Page 2

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1990

BRAIN DRAIN IS A WORRY NOT A CRISIS: GOVERNOR

THE

GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY) THAT LOSS OF TALENTED PEOPLE IN THE BRAIN DRAIN SITUATION WAS A WORRY, NOT OF CRISIS PROPORTIONS.

AFTER REPORTERS

ATTENDING

A

THE

BUT

MEETING

OF BRAIN

THE

DRAIN

SPEAKING ΤΟ EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, SIR DAVID SAID THE LATEST FIGURES ON WERE IN LINE WITH WHAT THE GOVERNMENT ANTICIPATED.

BEEN

TT

"WE KNEW THE NUMBERS WERE GOING TO GO UP, HE SAID.

"WE'VE LOOKING

YEARS,

PROBLEM LOOKING

BY

AT

WE

FOR MANY MONTHS, INDEED, FOR SOMETHING LIKE TWO AT WAYS

OF OF DEALING WITH THIS SORT INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF EDUCATION THAT WE'VE GOT HERE; WAYS OF ENCOURAGING TALENTED PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO HONG KONG, AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THAT PROCESS.

11

SIR DAVID DISAGREED WITH A SUGGESTION THAT THE GOVERNMENT UNDERESTIMATING THE PROBLEM, ADDING: "I THINK THE PROBLEM CHANGES WHOLE TIME.

WAS

THE

THE

"YOU CAN'T LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHICH IS AFTER ALL, DECISIONS OF A LARGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL HUMAN BEINGS. YOU CAN'T MAKE

A

PERIOD OF TIME. THE ACCURATE FORECASTS OVER INDIVIDUALS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING.

LONG

"WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING AND TO PRODUCE THE FIGURES SO THAT EVERYBODY HAS FIGURES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THE GOVERNMENT," HE SAID.

VIEWS

OF

ACTUALLY THE BEST

IT'S ALL HAVE

"BUT IT IS NO ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL WHAT IS HAPPENING. ENTIRELY OUT IN THE OPEN AND EVERYBODY KNOWS THE FIGURES THAT WE WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT, THE GOVERNOR ADDED.

SIR DAVID NOTED THAT THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WOULD HELP BUT THAT KEEP A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF TALENTED PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, IT WOULDN'T STOP OTHER PEOPLE GETTING INSURANCE POLICIES IN OTHER WAYS EITHER BY SOME OTHER ARRANAGEMENT OR BY EMIGRATING.

WAS ASKED ABOUT RECENT SHOOTING INCIDENTS, SIR DAVID SAID THIS SOMETHING WHICH WAS APPALLING, ADDING: "WE CANNOT HAVE VIOLENCE IN OUR STREETS IN HONG KONG. WE MUST MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO STAMP THAT OUT. THE POLICE ARE DOING AN ABSOLUTELY FIRST RATE JOB IN DEALING WITH IT, THAT THEY WILL GO ON DOING SO. I'M ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT OF THAT.

||

AND

SEE

VERY EFFECTIVE THE GOVERNOR POINTED OUT THAT THE POLICE IS A FORCE: "YOU ONLY HAVE TO GO OUT ONTO THE STREETS OF HONG KONG AND HOW EFFECTIVELY THEY ARE CARRYING OUT THEIR WORK. AND I AM ABSOLUTELY FIRST-CLASS POLICE CONFIDENT THAT HONG KONG CAN GO ON RELYING ON A FORCE.

/"WE'VE HAD