XN000022-1994-02-24 — Page 11

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1994

COME

SECONDLY, AND IT IS A POINT ON WHICH I AM SURE THE COUNCIL WILL

WANT ΤΟ

THE I APPROPRIATE CONCLUSIONS, WE ALL OF US, ASSUME, ARRANGEMENTS WHICH ARE AGREED TO BE FAIR, AND OPEN AND I THINK IF THEY ARE ACCEPTABLE TO THIS COUNCIL THEY WILL

TO THE ACCEPTABLE

BE

COMMUNITY.

MR PRESIDENT, LAST

DR CONRAD LAM (THROUGH INTERPRETATION): NIGHT IN THE DEBATE MANY MEMBERS SPOKE AND THEY SHOWED THAT THEY THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THESE SO MANY ROUNDS OF TALKS AND NEGOTIATIONS, WHY THEY FAILED TO REACH

AN AGREEMENT. THEY ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE REASONS WHY THE TALKS ENDED IN A BREAKDOWN. WE KNOW THAT THE BRITISH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL VERY SOON ANNOUNCE THE DETAILS OF THE TALKS AND WHY THEY ENDED IN FAILURE. WE ALSO HEARD THAT CHINA WOULD ALSO TAKK CORRESPONDING ACTION. NOW THE QUESTION REMAINS THAT IF BRITAIN HAS ANNOUNCED THE DETAILS OF THE TALKS WHICH ARE NOT IN LINE WITH WHAT THE CHINESE SIDE SAYS, IF THERE IS DISCREPANCY, THEN HOW CAN HONG KONG PEOPLE DECIDE WHICH IS CORRECT AND WHICH IS NOT CORRECT? UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES I HAVE GOT TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU, SIR.

FIRST, WHAT WILL THE GOVERNOR DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHO SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF THE TALKS?

AND SECOND, I HAVE ASKED A SECRETARY IN THIS COUNCIL SOME TIME AGO, AND UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE GOVERNOR BE WILLING ΤΟ OPENLY ANSWER QUESTIONS PUT TO HIM BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME CHINESE OFFICIALS TO SHOW WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS WRONG? IF CHINESE REPRESENTATIVES SAY THAT THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO,

OR IF THEY ARE NOT COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO TAKE UP THE OFFER, WILL YOU GO ON THE RADIO TO TAKE UP QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC?.

GOVERNOR :

FIRST OF ALL, IT IS OF COURSE THE CASE THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE ALREADY PUBLISHED THEIR VERSION OF EVENTS, A VERY LONG ARTICLE IN THE PEOPLE'S DAILY' ON THE 7TH JANUARY 1994, WHICH SETS OUT WHAT CHINESE OFFICIALS SAY HAPPENED IN THE TALKS. SO PERHAPS THE COUNCIL MAY THINK THAT WE ARE A LITTLE SLOW IN PUTTING OUT OUR VIEW AS OBJECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE, OF WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I AM, AS THE COUNCIL WILL KNOW, RESPONDING то I THINK THE WORD WAS A 'CHALLENGE' BY CHINESE OFFICIALS ON THIS SUBJECT.

SECONDLY, I THINK THAT WE CAN ALL REST ON THE OPINION AND JUDGMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. I THINK THAT JUDGMENT AND OPINION SHOULD BE AS WELL INFORMED AS POSSIBLE, SO WE ARE PRODUCING 200,000 COPIES OF THE WHITE PAPER, PUBLISHED AND AVAILABLE AT 5.00 TODAY. TODAY, THERE WILL BE 10,000 CHINESE COPIES AND 10,000 ENGLISH COPIES AVAILABLE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT THE GPO BUILDING IN CONNAUGHT PLACE FROM 5.00 PM UNTIL 9.00 PM, AND THEY WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FROM A SPECIAL DESK SET UP IN THE LOBBY OF THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES AT BEACONSFIELD HOUSE, QUEEN'S ROAD CENTRAL. FROM TOMORROW MORNING, COPIES WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM CNTA ENQUIRY CENTRES, FROM POST OFFICES, FROM HOUSING ESTATE OFFICES, AS WELL AS THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE. SO WE ARE DOING OUR BEST то INFORM DEBATE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. I REPEAT, 200,000 COPIES 140,000 IN CHINESE AND 60,000 IN ENGLISH.

/SECONDLY,

THE