XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 51

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

THE

THAT

GOVERNOR:

CAN I JUST SAY THIS FIRST OF ALL, WHICH IS I THINK BEST ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. I HAVEN'T PROVIDED THE RESOURCES CAN NOW BE SPENT ON EDUCATION AND WELFARE. YOU'VE PROVIDED THEM. HONG KONG HAS PROVIDED THEM BY HONG KONG'S HARD WORK, BY HONG KONG'S ENTERPRISE, BY HONG KONG'S SUCCESS. I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE THREE MONTHS, IT'S NOT TO MY CREDIT THAT THIS IS AVAILABLE, IT'S NOT TO MY CREDIT THAT WE CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS TO CARRY FORWARD CIVILISED LIFE IN HONG KONG, IT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU IN HONG KONG HAVE DONE. AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG RECOGNISE THAT AND HAVE THE SELF CONFIDENCE THAT SHOULD GO WITH IT. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD AND IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO HELP YOU ACTUALLY SPEND SOME OF THE PROCEEDS OF THAT SUCCESS IN A PRUDENT AND SENSIBLE WAY. SO, EVEN IF CHRIS PATTEN WAS TO

GOING BACK TO AN EARLIER QUESTION DISAPPEAR OVER THE SIDE OF THE MAURINE' NEXT WEEK, EVEN IF CHRIS PATTEN WASN'T TO SURVIVE CHRISTMAS, YOUR SUCCESS, AND THE PROCEEDS OF THAT SUCCESS WOULD BE HERE FOR ANOTHER GOVERNOR TO DISTRIBUTE.

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'LADY

UNTIL

LET ME JUST ADD ONE OTHER THING. I'M ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THE MAASTRICHT TREATY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND I'M NOT SPEAKING OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE IN BRIGHTON WILL BE RATIFIED. EUROPE IS

AN ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT ISSUE. IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT IT INVOLVES PASSIONATE DISCUSSION AND DEBATE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE REST OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY BUT I'M ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THE CONSERVTIVE ARTY AND THE COUNTRY WILL FOLLOW JOHN MAJOR'S LEAD WHICH HE'LL BE GIVING IN HIS ADDRESS AT THE CONGRESS TOMORROW. THERE ARE TWO ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT CONFERENCES OF COURSE, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE SOME EFFECT ON HONG KONG, THE FIRST IS THE ONE OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN BRIGHTON THIS WEEK. SECOND, AND FRANKLY MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, IS THE HISTORIC CONGRESS THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE IN PEKING NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND.

QUESTION:

I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION, THAT MANY OF US WOULD LIKE TO STAY BEYOND 1997 BUT HAVE THIS UNEASY FEELING THAT THERE IS RISING CRIME AND THE STRENGTHENING OF TRIAD ACTIVITIES IN HONG KONG. COULD YOU GIVE US MORE DETAILS HOW YOU ARE GOING TO TACKLE THIS PROBLEM?

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GOVERNOR:

CAN I FIRST OF ALL SAY AND THIS IS NOT MEANT то ENCOURAGE COMPLACENCY BUT CAN I FIRST OF ALL SAY THAT THE ACTUAL CRIME FIGURES THAT WE FACE IN HONG KONG SHOW A SMALL REDUCTION IN CRIME AND A SMALL REDUCTION EVEN IN VIOLENT CRIME; AND IN COMPARISON WITH WHAT ONE WOULD FIND IN MOST OTHER BIG CITIES AROUND THE WORLD, WE ARE NOT TOO BADLY PLACED; BUT THINGS AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH AND I UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY BEING CONCERNED ABOUT CRIME. I UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY BEING CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF THE PARTICULARLY AWFUL VIOLENT CRIMES THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO. I UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY SAYING EVEN IF WE ARE DOING BETTER THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES, NO LEVEL OF CRIME CAN BE REGARDED AS ACCEPTABLE. IN OUR WORLD WE DON'T LIKE THINGS THAT THREATEN OUR FAMILIES' WELFARE AND THREATEN OUR LIVELIHOOD AND THREATEN OUR SAFETY. SO, WHAT DO WE HAV TO DO?

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