XN000022-1994-04-18 — Page 3

MONDAY, APRIL 18, 1994

TO

WHICH

THE ICAC IS A

FOLLOWED

OF

OPERATIONS BY AN OUTSIDERS FROM So, THERE

THE

ARF

IS 'EVERY ACTIVITY OF

ON

THERE

MAJORITY COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATION, REPRESENTATIVES OF ORDINARY CITIZENS. EXISTING CHECKS AND BALANCES.

THAT

BODY

"I HOPE THAT THIS SORT OF TOTALLY UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE WON'T, IN ANY WAY, UNDERMINE PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR A WHICH STANDS IN THE FRONT LINE OF OUR DETERMINATION IN HONG KONG TO KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN.

—

TRANSCRIPT OF GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION

THE

FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION BY THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AFTER OPENING THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FAMILY AND COMMUNITY CARE THIS (MONDAY)

MORNING:

QUESTION: THE XT YANG CASE, CAN YOU COMMENT ON THAT? IT'S OBVIOUSLY CONTINUING TO CAUSE A LOT CONCERN HERE IN HONG KONG AND A POSSIBLE INDICATION FOR PRESS FREEDOM AFTER 1997. DO YOU THINK THAT CHINA IS GIVING US ANOTHER WARNING TO LOCAL REPORTERS TO TOE THE LINE AS IT WERE, YOU SHARE THE CONCERNS?

WIDELY

HONG KONG LEARN OF

GOVERNOR: I FEAR THAT THIS IS THE CONCERN WHICH IS FELT VERY THROUGH THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST AMONG JOURNALISTS BUT, I THINK, BEYOND AS WELL, AS YESTERDAY'S PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION DEMONSTRATED. I HOPE THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS SO MUCH WORRY IN HONG KONG ABOUT THIS CASE, WHY THERE IS SO MUCH WORRY NOT JUST ABOUT THE WAY THE CASE HAS BEEN HANDLED BUT ABOUT THE SENTENCE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN, WHICH SEEMS TO MOST PEOPLE IN AND BEYOND, I THINK. AS WHOLLY DISPROPORTIONATE TO WHAT WE THE CHARGES AGAINST THE JOURNALIST IN QUESTION. SO, I VERY MUCH HOPE AS THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID AT THE WEEKEND THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WILL SPELL OUT VERY CLEARLY WHAT THE RULES AND REGULATIONS ARA WHICH JOURNALISTS. NOT LEAST THE JOURNALISTS OF HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS, HAVE TO FOLLOW WHEN THEY ARE COVERING EVENTS IN CHINA. THESE'VE BREN A VERY WORRYING FEW DAYS AND I HOPE, I HOPE FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY TO REMOVE PEOPLE'S ANXIETIES BECAUSE THOSE ANXIETIES ARE VERY, VERY REAL AND VERY, VERY PROFOUND.

QUESTION: IS IT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS GOT SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE XI YANG CASE?

GOVERNOR: WE DON'T, ALAS, HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION THAN YOU HAVE. THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN PEKING ASKED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE XI YANG CASE AND GOT, I THINK, THE INFORMATION WHICH IS NOW PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. THERE IS ONE POINT WHICH YOU KNOW, WHICH DISTINGUISHES XI YANG'S CASE FROM THAT OF ONE OR TWO OTHER JOURNALISTS IN THE PAST. XI YANG IS A LOCAL RESIDENT AND WORKS FOR A HONG KONG NEWSPAPER BUT IS A CHINESE CITIZEN SO THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO UNDER THE NORMAL INTERNATIONAL RULES AND REGULATIONS IN PURSUING HIS CASE. THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT CAN DO. BUT, NEVERTHELESS, THAT IN NO WAY, THAT IN NO WAY DETRACTS FROM OUR VERY SUBSTANTIAL CONCERN AND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORRY THAT EXISTS IN THE COMMUNITY,

/QUESTION: