XN000022-1993-08-05 — Page 7

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1993

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THIRDLY, THE PROCESS OF APPLYING FOR ANOTHER CONTRACT ON LOCAL AGREEMENT TERMS IS NOT BY ANY MEANS AN AUTOMATIC PROCESS. AN ELIGIBLE OFFICER FIRST OP ALL HAS TO APPLY. WHETHER HE IS SUCCESSFUL IN HIS APPLICATION WILL DEPEND ON THE GOVERNMENT – THE ADMINISTRATION MAKING THE DECISION - BASED ON SERVICE NEED AND THE OFFICER'S PERFORMANCE AND ON WHETHER HE IS PHYSICALLY FIT. SO IT IS NOT BY ANY MEANS AUTOMATIC.

TO OUR

I WANT ALSO TO STRESS THAT WE REMAIN FULLY COMMITTED LOCALISATION POLICY THERE ARE TWO MAJOR TENETS TO THIS POLICY AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW. FIRST, WE WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE PRIORITY TO HIRING SUITABLE LOCAL OFFICERS. SECONDLY, ALSO WHERE LOCAL OFFICERS, SUITABLE LOCAL OFFICERS, ARE AVAILABLE TO REPLACE OVERSEAS AGREEMENT OFFICERS, THEN WE WILL SO REPLACE THESE OVERSEAS AGREEMENT OFFICERS.

I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT SOME OF THE COMMENTS SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS THE GOVERNMENT, INSTEAD OF TAKING THE INITIATIVE ΤΟ CHANGE THIS POLICY, REALLY OUGHT TO LEAVE IT TO THE COURT TO DECIDE. NOW

WE BELIEVE THE POLICY CHANGES WE HAVE ANNOUNCED CONCERN A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF STAFF MANAGEMENT. ON SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS THIS, WE THINK THAT IT IS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE OF THE ADMINISTRATION TO LEAVE IT TO THE COURT TO DECIDE. IF FOR ANY REASON WE FEEL THAT IN STAFF MANAGEMENT WE NEED TO HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE OVERALL PUBLIC INTEREST ALTHOUGH IN ANY WAY IN INCONSISTENCY WITH THE LEGAL POSITION, THEN THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE PUT RIGHT THE POLICY AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE DONE.

ΤΟ

CONTRACT AWARD FOR WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY

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SOUTH SECTION

THE CENTRAL TENDER BOARD HAS ACCEPTED A HK$997 MILLION TENDER SUBMITTED BY AOKI CORPORATION OF JAPAN FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY SOUTH SECTION.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) THAT THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY SOUTH SECTION WOULD LINK ON THE NORTHERN LIMIT OF THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING TOLL PLAZA AT YAU MA TEI AND THE SOUTHERN LIMIT OF THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY NORTH SECTION AT TAI KOK TSUI.

THE MAJOR ITEMS OF THE WORKS INCLUDE THE BUILDING OF A 1.5- KILOMETRE-LONG DUAL THREE-LANE EXPRESSWAY OF WHICH 0.4 KILOMETRE WILL BE DEPRESSED WITHIN A TROUGH STRUCTURE, 1.2 KILOMETRES OF PRIMARY DISTRIBUTOR ROAD ALONGSIDE THE EXPRESSWAY, A MAJOR INTERCHANGE, EXTENSIONS OF MAJOR BOX CULVERTS ACROSS THE NEW RECLAMATION, AN UNDERPASS AT CHERRY STREET AND A ONE-KILOMETRE-LONG REINFORCED CONCRETE TUNNEL ACROSS THE INTERCHANGE.

TENDERS WERE RECEIVED FROM EIGHT PREQUALIFIED TENDERERS AND THE JAPANESE COMPANY AOKI CORPORATION SUBMITTED THE LOWEST PRICED BID

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OF HK$997 MILLION.

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CONSTRUCTION WORK WILL START LATER THIS MONTH AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN THE LATER HALF OF 1996.

/THE AWARD