XN000022-1993-06-10 — Page 19

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18

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1993

IN

SO

MR TAM YIU-CHUNG (THROUGH INTERPRETER):

MR GOVERNOR, YOUR INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT YOU SAID THAT IN THE PAST YEAR YOU HAVE SEEN SOME PROGRESS MADE IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF HONG KONG, FOR INSTANCE, SHUTTING DOWN THE INCINERATOR IN KENNEDY TOWN. BUT HAVE YOU, MR GOVERNOR, NOTICED THAT THE MARINE LIFE HAS BEEN GREATLY DAMAGED AND THE SEABED HAS BEEN DAMAGED AND, THEREFORE, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF FATALITY IN OUR FISH AND SOME SPECIES MIGHT DISAPPEAR FOR DECADES AND WE WILL HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO COMPENSATE OUR FISHERFOLKS THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A LIVELIHOOD? LAST MONTH I HONG KONG AND WENT TO TAIWAN AND THEN COMING BACK ON THE PLANE I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE DREDGERS AND THEN AROUND THE DREDGERS, WELL, WE HAVE A WHOLE SHEET OF YELLOW MUD, THE SEA IS NO LONGER GREEN. AND S0, MR GOVERNOR, ARE YOU PLANNING TO PAY A VISIT TO THE AREA SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE IMMENSE DAMAGE DONE IN THE PAST YEAR AND

ΤΟ SEE WHETHER ADMINISTRATIVELY WE HAVE DONE ANYTHING AMISS AND то SEE WHETHER ANY REMEDIAL MEASURES CAN BE PUT IN PLACE?

GOVERNOR:

LEFT

THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HAS RAISED AN ISSUE WHICH IS OF QUITE PROPER CONCERN TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AND NOT ONLY THE FISHING FAMILIES WHO HAVE SEEN THEIR PRINCIPAL MEANS OF INCOME SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED. BUT WHAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS DOING IS POINTING TO A DIFFICULT CHOICE WHICH WE HAVE TO MAKE IN HONG KONG. I DOUBT WHETHER THERE ARE MANY MEMBERS, IF ANY AT ALL, IN THIS COUNCIL WHO WOULD ARGUE AGAINST THE LAND RECLAMATIONS WHICH ARE HELPING TO ENSURE THAT WE COPE WITH ONE OF THE MAIN CONSTRAINTS ON OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THAT IS, A SHORTAGE OF LAND. WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAS QUITE PROPERLY BEEN DONE AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. DREDGING, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS SOME OF THE CONSEQUENCES TO WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER REFERRED, IS I THINK ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING THAN TAKING SOIL FROM THE LAND. AND I WE WOULD BE GETTING PROBABLY MORE COMPLAINTS IF WE WERE THAN WE ARE GETTING FROM DREDGING. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL KNOW THAT WE HAVE CONDUCTED STUDIES OF THE IMPACT OF DREDGING OR POTENTIAL DREDGING BEFORE IT TAKES PLACE, AND THAT HAS ENABLED US TO BOTH RESTRICT DREDGING AND TO MONITOR IT CLOSELY. WE HAVE INTRODUCED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN RELATION TO THE WORK THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN EAST LAMMA,

DOING

LESS THINK

THAT

WE HAVE INTRODUCED A NUMBER OF PRETTY TOUGH REGULATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ISN'T CAUSED. BUT THERE IS DAMAGE TO MARINE LIFE AND THAT DOES HAVE AN EFFECT ON FARMERS, ON FISHERMEN'S LIVELIHOOD. THEREFORE, WE HAVE INTRODUCED, AS THIS COUNCIL KNOWS, WE HAVE INTRODUCED COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR FISHERMEN. FISHERMEN HAVE TALKED TO ME ABOUT THOSE COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS AND THEY HAVE TALKED TO THE COUNCIL WHICH, I THINK, DEBATED THEM VERY FULLY IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES, WE HAVE OBLIGATIONS то THOSE FISHING FAMILIES TO TRY TO HELP THEM DURING WHAT IS A DIFFICULT PERIOD, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE ΤΟ DEVELOP HONG KONG IN THE WAY THAT ALL OF US WANT WITHOUT SOME CONTINUING DREDGING AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

A FOLLOW-UP

TAM YIU-CHUNG: (THROUGH INTERPRETER); QUESTION, MR PRESIDENT. I AM NOT AGAINST RECLAMATION, I AM NOT AGAINST COMPENSATION TO THE FISHERMEN, BUT THE QUESTION HERE IS WHEN WE GO ABOUT THE PROJECT IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDIES, HAVE WE DONE ENOUGH? IN OTHER WORDS, IS IT REALLY NECESSARY THAT DREDGE SAND FROM OUR SEABED? COULD WE ACTUALLY BUY MARINE SAND NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES OR ARE THERE OTHER ALTERNATIVES TOO THAT WOULD HELP US TO REDUCE OUR IMPACT ON OUR MARINE ECOLOGY? ENOUGH IN THIS AREA?

HAVE

WE

FROM

WE DONE

/GOVERNOR