XN000022-1994-04-13 — Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1994

TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION

TRANSCRIPT

HON

OF THE MEDIA SESSION BY THE GOVERNOR, THE ᎡᎢ CHRISTOPHER PATTEN AFTER VISITING SHA TIN DISTRICT ON APRIL 13, 1994:

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GOVERNOR : GOOD AFTERNOON. I'VE HAD SEVERAL PREVIOUS VISITS TO SHA TIN. MY FIRST VISIT TO SHA TIN WAS ON MY FIRST FULL DAY IN HONG KONG AS GOVERNOR. I'M PLEASED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME BACK AGAIN AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY FURTHER VISITS.

JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO SAY. WHEN I SAW NEWSPAPER REPORTS THIS MORNING OF LAST WEEK'S EVENTS IN WHITEHEAD CAMP, I ASKED FOR AN IMMEDIATE AND THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE FACTS, PARTICULARLY OF THE NUMBER OF TEAR GAS SHELLS THAT WE USED AND OF THE INJURIES THAT WERE CAUSED AS A RESULT OF THE EXERCISE AND THE SECURITY OPERATION WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT. AS A RESULT OF THAT AND OUR INSISTENCE THAT THERE SHOULD BE FULL DISCLOSURE OF ALL THE FACTS AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE, A PRESS CONFERENCE IS BEING HELD I THINK LITERALLY AS I'M TALKING TO YOU AT WHICH ALL THE EVIDENCE AND ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN COLLECTED AS A RESULT OF MY DEMAND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A REVIEW WILL BE SET OUT. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT ALL THE FACTS ARE KNOWN, NOT ONLY TO THE GOVERNMENT, NOT ONLY TO THE PRESS, BUT TO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, SO WE CAN DECIDE WHETHER ANY FURTHER ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN AND SO WE CAN CONSIDER HOW WE HANDLE CASES LIKE THIS IN THE BEST WAY IN THE FUTURE. SO ALL THAT INFORMATION, ALL THE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN COLLECTED WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE. THERE CAN BE NO QUESTION WHATSOEVER NOW OR IN THE FUTURE OF ANY COVER-UP OF THE SORT OF EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES. SO THERE'S A PRESS CONFERENCE AS I SAY BEING HELD RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

ONE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO SAY. LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON, THE REPORT OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IS BEING PUBLISHED IN LONDON AND COPIES ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE HERE. IT IS NOT AS YOU KNOW A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT. IT'S THE RESULT OF A THOROUGH REVIEW BY A CROSS PARTY COMMITTEE OF EXPERT MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT. THEY TOOK EVIDENCE FROM PEOPLE IN HONG KONG. THEY TOOK EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS. THEY TOOK EVIDENCE FROM BRITISH OFFICIALS. THEY TOOK EVIDENCE FROM LAWYERS AND THEY TOOK EVIDENCE FROM MANY EXPERTS. THEIR REPORT WILL OBVIOUSLY BE A VERY USEFUL DOCUMENT FOR ALL OF US TO STUDY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE REPORT GIVES SOLID AND COMPLETE SUPPORT FOR THE APPROACH THAT WE HAVE TAKEN IN HONG KONG ON POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT AND IT HAS A NUMBER OF OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WE WILL WANT TO STUDY VERY CAREFULLY AND I'M SURE THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WILL WANT TO CONSIDER THEM AS WELL. BUT IT IS OBVIOUSLY GOOD NEWS THAT SUPPORT FOR THE APPROACH WE'VE TAKEN IS AS SOLID IN BRITAIN AS IT IS IN HONG KONG. I'M SURE THAT THAT WILL BE A CONSIDERATION WHICH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL WANT TO BEAR IN MIND AS THEY CONSIDER THE LAST PART OF OUR LEGISLATION IN THE COMING WEEKS.

SO I REPEAT AGAIN ON WHITEHEAD THAT ALL THE INFORMATION MUST BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE COMMUNITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHATEVER, REPEAT WHATEVER, THAT INFORMATION TELLS US.

/QUESTION: