XN000022-1994-01-07 — Page 3

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1994

2

GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO REPORTERS

THE FOLLOWING

THE

GOVERNOR,

RT

HON

CHAI

THE OF TRANSCRIPT

TO REPORTERS AFTER OPENING THE YAN THIS (FRIDAY) AFTERNOON:

THE IS CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING HOSPITAL NEW CLINICAL BLOCK

NEW

GOVERNOR: I'M DELIGHTED TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF OPENING A HEALTH FACILITY HERE, A NEW DEVELOPMENT OF THIS HOSPITAL. YESTERDAY, I AND ATTENDED, AS YOU KNOW, THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY'S SECOND CONVENTION E TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANT WORK WHICH THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY ING. TODAY, WE'VE SEEN ANOTHER STEP FORWARD IN IMPROVED HEALTH FOR HONG KONG. SO I'M PLEASED YOU'RE ALL ABLE TO COME HERE AND SER FOR YOURSELF.

ARE

CARE

IT

OF

THEIR RIGHT ..BY THIS POINT? IS THAT TRUE?

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, ABOUT 300 000 PEOPLE MAY LOSE ABODE AFTER 1997. SO, HOW WOULD YOU.

KNOW, WHICH GOVERNOR; THE QUESTION OF RIGHT OF ABODE IS ONE, AS YOU

SOME WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO RESOLVE THROUGH THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP FOR

PUZZLED TIME. I THINK THAT MANY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WILL BE A LITTLE

PEKING. THERE BY THE VARIOUS MESSAGES WHICH HAVE BEEN COMING OUT OF

ABOUT WERE, I THINK, TWO RATHER DIFFERENT IMPRESSIONS GIVEN YESTERDAY FUTURE CHINESE INTENTION ON RIGHT OF ABODE. AND EARLIER, WE HAD ONE OF DIFFERENT AGAIN. 80, THE MEMBERS OF THE PWC SAYING SOMETHING VERY

US THERE IS A DEGREE OF CONFUSION BUT IT UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF

THROUGH THE RESOLVING THIS MATTER FOR I THINK ABOUT 400 000 PEOPLE JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRY TO DO THAT. IT DOES OF INVOLVE, TO BE FAIR, QUITE COMPLICATED ISSUES ABOUT THE DEFINITION CITIZENSHIP BUT NEVERTHELESS, THE SOONER WE CAN RESOLVE IT THE PEOPLE WE CAN PUT AT REST THE ANXIETY OF SOME OF THE 400 000 REFERRED TO, WHO'VE MADE SUCH A BIG CONTRIBUTION TO OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN HONG KONG.

SOONER YOU'VE

WITH

WITH

CAN

QUESTION: LU PING YESTERDAY SAID THAT CHINA WAS PREPARED TO DEAL THE WHOLF ISSUE IN A FLEXIBLE MANNER. DOES THAT ENCOURAGE YOU? GOVERNOR: 1 THINK THAT FLEXIBILITY IS ALWAYS AN ENCOURAGING QUALITY. I KNOW, VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE CAN DEAL WITH IT THROUGH THE JLG. AS YOU

JLG AS QUICKLY AS WE ARE VERY ANXIOUS TO DO AS MUCH THROUGH THE POSSIBLE BECAUSE THERE ARE SCORES OF ISSUES THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL AND TIUS IS ONE OF THEM. IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE AND THE SOONER WE PUT IT TO REST THE BETTER AND IF DIRECTOR LV PING'S REMARKS YESTERDAY, WHAT THOUGH THEY SEEMED TO BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN THE AFTERNOON TO THEY'VE BEEN IN THE MORNING BUT IF LU PING'S REMARKS YESTERDAY SUGGEST THAT THE CHINESE SIDE ARE READY TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE, THEN WE'LL BE A TRIBUTE TO CHINESE WILL BE, I THINK, ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED. IT OFFICIALS AS WELL AS TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IF WE RESOLVED.

CAN GET IT

SEND WILL THE

QUESTION; WHY DID THE GOVERNMENT REFUSE THE INVITATION OF PWC TO OFFICIALS TO PEKING TO EXPLAIN THE AIRPORT CORPORATION BILL? GOVERNMENT RECONSIDER THIS MATTER?

/GOVERNOR: