XN000022-1994-01-12 — Page 8

7

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1994

346 CONSTITUENCIES PROPOSED FOR DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS

*

THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION (BEC) HAS PROPOSED A TOTAL IN 346 CONSTITUENCIES FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR.

OF

RELATING

FOR IN

A REPORT CONTAINING THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO

THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS AND THE CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES THE ELECTIONS WAS SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR LAST MONTH AND TABLED THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

THE THREE-VOLUME REPORT WAS COMPILED FOLLOWING CONSULTATION EXERCISE ON THE COMMISSION'S PROVISIONAL RELEASED LAST OCTOBER.

A MONTH-LONG RECOMMENDATIONS

A PRESS OUTLINING THE COMMISSION'S LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS AT

SAID CONFERENCE, THE COMMISSION'S CHAIRMAN, MR JUSTICE WOO KWOK-HING,

ALL CAREFULLY

THE REPRESENTATIONS THE COMMISSION HAD CONSIDERED RECEIVED AND HAD, WHEREVER PRACTICAL AND REASONABLE, RESPONDED TO THEM IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

AS A RESULT, EIGHT ADDITIONAL CONSTITUENCIES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO MEET THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN SIX DISTRICTS.

"THREE ARE FOR THE ISLANDS DISTRICT AND ONE EACH FOR DISTRICT, WONG TAI SIN, YUEN LONG, TAI PO AND SAI KUNG.

SOUTHERN

A NUMBER OF THE PROVISIONAL OF QUITE BOUNDARIES "THE CONSTITUENCIES HAVE BEEN REVISED TO SOME EXTENT,

**

HE SAID.

THE NAMES OF OVER 50 PROVISIONAL CONSTITUENCIES HAVE ALSO CHANGED IN THE LIGHT OF PUBLIC VIEWS.

FOR EACH

BEEN

APPLIED

A

IN DRAWING UP ITS PROVISIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS, THE BEC

ALLOWING CONSTITUENCY QUOTA POPULATION

17,464 DEVIATION OF NOT MORE THAN 25 PER CENT ABOVE OR BELOW THE QUOTA.

A

OF 17,

PRIMARY CRITERION, THE COMMUNITY IDENTITIES,

AND

"WHILE THE POPULATION FACTOR IS THE COMMISSION HAS ALSO TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION PRESERVATION OF LOCAL TIES, THE PHYSICAL FEATURES, ACCESSIBILITY

MR JUSTICE WOO SAID. DEVELOPMENT OF THE RELEVANT AREAS,'

"I

IN ITS REVISED RECOMMENDATIONS, THE POPULATION QUOTA FOR CONSTITUENCY HAS BEEN ADJUSTED TO 17,061 AND THE POPULATION PROPOSED CONSTITUENCIES WERE ALLOWED TO FALL OUTSIDE THE 25 PER RANGE OF THE POPULATION QUOTA.

"THE

BACH

OF 26

CENT

FOR THE COMMISSION IS CONVINCED THAT THEY ARE JUSTIFIED

AND LOCAL TIES, AND REASONS OF

COMMUNITY IDENTITIES PRESERVING ALLEVIATING THE DIFFICULTIES AND INCONVENIENCE ASSOCIATED WITH GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD OR SCATTERED COMMUNITIES," MR JUSTICE WOO SAID.

LARGE

THE TIN PING CONSTITUENCY IN THE NORTH DISTRICT HAS THE HIGHEST POPULATION OF 23,890, WHICH IS 40 PER CENT ABOVE THE POPULATION QUOTA.

/THE SAI