XN000022-1994-05-20 — Page 6

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1994

GOVERNOR: FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO OFFER MY CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF THE POOR WOMAN WHO WAS KILLED AND MY CONDOLENCES AS WELL TO THOSE WHO'VE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED DURING THE INCIDENT. I THINK THAT THE POLICE BEHAVED WITH CONSIDERABLE RESTRAINT AND I THINK THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATES THAT. WE DO HAVE A VERY GOOD POLICE FORCE AND THEY WERE ABLE TO DEAL VERY FIRMLY AND EFFECTIVELY WITH THE INCREASE IN CRIMES LIKE THIS THAT WORRY THE COMMUNITY SO MUCH A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. WHAT I CAN PROMISE THE COMMUNITY IS THAT WE WILL TAKE SIMILARLY RESOLUTE MEASURES TO STAMP OUT THIS SORT OF VIOLENT CRIME. OVERALL, IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING HONG KONG IS A COMMUNITY, ONE OF THE FEW IN THE WORLD WHERE THE LEVEL OF CRIME HAS ACTUALLY BEEN FALLING AND THE LEVEL OF VIOLENT CRIME AS WELL. WE WANT TO BUILD ON THAT RECORD AND WE WANT TO STAMP OUT ANY VIOLENT CRIME PARTICULARLY THAT SORT OF THING WE SAW ON THE STREETS OF CENTRAL THE OTHER DAY.

QUESTION: GOVERNOR, CAN YOU TELL US IF BY SOME CHANCE YOU HAPPEN TO SEE LORD MACLEHOSE IN ENGLAND, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HIS CRITICISM OF YOUR POLICY IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS DEBATE?

GOVERNOR: I'D,

THE BEEN THAT

FIRST OF ALL, SAY ABOUT THE HOUSE OF LORDS' DEBATE WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE CONE, ALAS, RATHER UNREMARKED THAT WHAT IT CONFIRMED ONCE AGAIN WAS THE CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT AT WESTMINSTER FOR THE APPROACH THAT WE'VE TAKEN HERE IN HONG KONG. THE SECOND THING I WOULD SAY TO LORD MACLEHOSE WAS THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS ADVISABLE то READ THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT WHICH'S DESCRIBED ALTERNATIVE APPROACH WHICH SOME HAVE CANVASSED TO DO WHAT WE'VE DOING HERE HAS BEEN NEITHER TENABLE NOR HONOURABLE. SO, I THINK WAS THE RESPONSE THAT I WOULD HAVE MADE. FINALLY, I THINK I MIGHT HAVE SAID THIS AS WELL. AS LORD HOWE HAS BEEN SAYING, HONG KONG IS A LIVING ENTITY. (REPORTER: MING VASE.) NO, HE'S CHANGED THE METAPHOR FOR NOW, IT'S MOVED FROM BEING A MING VASE TO, I THINK, A LIVING PLANT AND YOU HAVE TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN SUITABLE AND APPROPRIATE IN THE 1970'S, I AM NOT SURE IT'S AS APPROPRIATE IN 1990'S. WHAT I THINK THAT LORD MACLEHOSE, A VERY DISTINGUISHED SERVANT OF HONG KONG AND OTHERS SHOULD RECOGNISE IS THAT THIS IS A COMMUNITY WHICH DOES HAVE POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS ALBEIT POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS WHICH'RE EXTREMELY MODERATE AND MODEST. LAST ONE.

QUESTION: EMILY LAU WOULD SEEK TO TABLE A PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL THAT WILL GET.....?

GOVERNOR: SO, I READ.

QUESTION: WILL THE GOVERNMENT TRY TO BLOCK IT?

GOVERNOR: NO. I DON'T THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE RIGHT. I HEAR, THOUGH I THINK THAT SHE'S STILL SOME WAY FROM ACTUALLY GETTING THE WORDS ON PAPER. I HEAR THAT IT IS HER INTENTION IN VIEW OF THE DECISION TAKEN BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, TO TRY TO DRAFT A PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL. I THINK IF SHE DOES SO, THEN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD DEBATE THE ISSUE. I'VE SAID BEFORE THAT I DON'T THINK THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SUPPORT THAT APPROACH.

BUT,

I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE DEBATED. OF COURSE, AS FAR AS THE GOVERNMENT IS CONCERNED, WE BELIEVE THAT OUR POLITICAL PROPOSALS, WE BELIEVE THAT OUR BILL IS THE BEST ONE AND WE BELIEVE THAT OUR BILL AND OUR PROPOSALS ARE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF HONG KONG. I'VE SEEN SOME OF THE OTHER AMENDMENTS, SOME OF THOSE WHICH HAVE BEEN PROPOSED RECENTLY AND FRANKLY, I DON'T THINK THAT THEY ARE AT ALL IN THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG, QUITE THE REVERSE.

/QUESTION: