XN000022-1992-07-21 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, JULY 21, 1992

IN

"BUT THAT DISCUSSION AND

DEBATE HAD BETTER AWAIT THE PUBLICATION OF THE DOCUMENT ITSELF. NO GREAT SURPRISES OR SECRETS IT BUT IT WILL BE, I THINK, A WELCOME FOCUS FOR DEBATE WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TO VERY MANY PEOPLE. TO EMPLOYERS, TO TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES AND ΤΟ ORDINARY WORKERS, BOTH WOMEN AND MEN," MR PATTEN SAID.

IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION ON WHETHER BRITAIN WAS BULLYING PEKING OVER THE AIRPORT ISSUE. THE GOVERNOR SAID HE DID NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN MEGAPHONE DIPLOMACY, BUT HE ADDED: "I NEITHER FEEL. NOR I THINK, LOOK LIKE A BULLY AND I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO AVOID ANY, PERHAPS MARGINALLY RITUAL EXCHANGES ON AN ISSUE THAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

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"I'LL JUST ADD TWO POINTS: EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THERE WILL BE AN AIRPORT, A NEW AIRPORT IN HONG KONG. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THERE WILL BE AN AIRPORT RAILWAY. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WE WANT AND NEED TO INVEST

IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, JUST AS MALAYSIA IS; THAILAND IS: TAIWAN IS; SINGAPORE IS, ALL THOSE WHO ARE COMPETING WITH HONG KONG. THE AIRPORT IS IN THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG, IS IN THE INTEREST OF SOUTHERN CHINA, IS IN THE INTEREST OF THE REGION, AND IT WILL BE BUILT," HE SAID.

"WHEN IT COMES TO THE EXCHANGES TO WHICH YOU'VE REFERRED, I RECALLED THAT ON JULY 6, A SENIOR AND DISTINGUISHED OFFICIAL IN PEKING SET OUT IN TERMS WHAT THE LATEST PROPOSAL PUT BY THE PRC ON THE AIRPORT AMOUNTED TO. THAT WAS DONE PUBLICLY.

"I ALSO OBSERVED THAT ONE OR TWO NEWSPAPERS IN HONG KONG, WHICH INVARIABLY APPEAR EXTREMELY WELL INFORMED ABOUT THE POLICIES AND PROPOSALS OF THE PRC, HAVE REPORTED THE PRC'S POSITION IN THE AIRPORT TALKS PROMINENTLY IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. I DON'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN CRITICISMS, BUT I REPEAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED; JULY 6, WAS A LONG TIME BEFORE LAST FRIDAY, MR PATTEN SAID.

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20,000TH VIET RETURNEE WELCOMED

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THE GOVERNMENT TODAY WELCOMED THE RETURN ΤΟ VIETNAM OF THE 20,000TH RETURNEE UNDER THE UNHCR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME FOR VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS.

"THIS NEW LANDMARK CONTINUES THE TREND PAVING THE WAY FOR AN END TO THIS HUMAN TRAGEDY, THE REFUGEE CO-ORDINATOR, MR BRIAN BRESNIHAN, SAID.

"THE BURGEONING VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME INDICATES THAT NON-REFUGEES REALISING THAT THE ONLY OPTION TO WASTING THEIR LIVES IN A CAMP HERE IS TO START A NEW LIFE BACK HOME,' HE SAID.

ARE

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/MR BRESNIHAN