XN000022-1993-06-10 — Page 22

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1993

GOVERNOR:

TO

I WILL OF COURSE, PROVIDED NOBODY ACCUSES ME OF TRYING INTERNATIONALISE WASTE AS A RESULT, I WILL OF COURSE BE PERFECTLY HAPPY TO VISIT INCINERATING CAPACITIES, INCINERATORS AND INCINERATING CAPACITY IN JAPAN AND SINGAPORE. IN MY EXPERIENCE IT'S QUITE DIFFICULT EVEN WITH THE MOST MODERN EQUIPMENT TO CONVINCE RESIDENTS OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD THAT LIVING NEXT DOOR TO AN INCINERATOR ISN'T GOING TO CAUSE THEM ANY ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. I'VE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF TRYING ΤΟ CONVINCE PEOPLE OF THAT IN THE PAST AND I HAVEN'T ALWAYS FOUND IT AN ENTIRELY DOWNHILL BUSINESS SO I DO THINK ONE HAS TO ТАКВ ACCOUNT OF THE CONCERNS OF RESIDENTS ABOUT THIS MATTER, BV EN THOUGH THE HONOURABLE LADY IS ENTIRELY RIGHT TO SAY THAT THE TECHNOLOGY OF INCINERATION HAS MOVED ON HUGELY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.

MR ALBERT CHAN (IN CANTONESE): THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. MR GOVERNOR, SO WE ARE NOW TALKING ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG AND ONE OF THE MOST LONG-STANDING ONE AND MOST SERIOUS ONE WOULD BE THE NOISE GENERATED BY KAI TAK AIRPORT BECAUSE OVER 350,000 PEOPLE UNDER THE FLIGHT PATH ARE NOW AFFECTED DAILY BY NOISE AND THESE RESIDENTS HOPE THAT WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE NEW AIRPORT THEY WOULD BR FREE FROM THE NOISE NUISANCE. BUT NOW THAT THE SINO-BRITISH GOVERNMENTS ARE NOW STILL ARGUING ABOUT THE FINANCING PROGRAMME FOR THE AIRPORT AND SO A LOT OF PROBLEMS ARE AWAITING SOLUTION AND SO PROBABLY THE AIRPORT WOULD BE DELAYED. AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM YOU, WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW TO ENSURE THAT THE FINANCING PROBLEMS WOULD BE SOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THESE 350,000 PEOPLE LIVING UNDER THE FLIGHT PATH RIGHT NOW WOULD BE FREE FROM NOISE AFTER 1997?

GOVERNOR: WELL WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW IS ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND IF THAT MAKES A CONTRIBUTION TO SORTING OUT OUR REMAINING DIFFICULTIES THEN NOBODY WOULD BE MORE PLEASED THAN ME. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WHO KNOWS SO MUCH ABOUT THIS SUBJECT IS ENTIRELY RIGHT TO UNDERLINE THE ENVIRONMENTAL, NOT JUST THE ECONOMIC AND COMMERICAL, IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THE NEW AIRPORT COMPLETED. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS IN THE WORLD, INDERD IT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS EVER UNDERTAKEN ANYWHERE BY ANYONE, AND IF THERE IS ONE COMMUNITY WHICH CAN BRING IT IN RAPIDLY, ON TIME, BELOW COST, IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE IMAGINABLE WAY, IT'S THIS COMMUNITY WHICH DOESN'T, THOUGH IT'S FULL OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY HAPPY TO TAKE ADVICE FROM OTHERS, WHICH DOESN'T ON THE WHOLE HAVE MANY EXAMPLES TO LOOK TO AROUND THE WORLD OF OTHER PEOPLE DOING THESE THINGS BETTER THAN WE HAVE MANAGED THEM. WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A LENGTHY SERIES OF DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF AGREEING A FINANCING PACKAGE FOR THE AIRPORT. FN THE MEANTIME WE'VE GOT AHEAD WITH SUCH WORK AS WE CAN DO BEFORE AN OVERALL AGREEMENT IS REACHED AND WE'VE DONE A GREAT DEAL OF WORK AND ALL WORK IS BEING DONE ON TIME AND WITHIN COST. I HOPE THAT WE WILL MORE RAPIDLY TO AN AGREEMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT AND WITHIN THE OF THE MOU, NOBODY COULD WANT THAT TO HAPPEN MORE THAN ME. THINK ANYBODY CAN DOUBT OUR SINCERITY OR OUR CONSTRUCTIVE ATTEMPTS SOLVE THINK

THAT MOVE

TERMS

I DON'T TO

THESE PROBLEMS. I HOPE THAT THEY CAN BE SOLVED. I CERTAINLY THAT EVERYONE IN HONG KONG WANTS TO SEE THAT HAPPEN AND I9 ASTONISHINGLY PATIENT AT THE FACT THAT IT HASN'T HAPPENED ALREADY.

MR CHIM