XN000022-1994-08-29 — Page 3

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1994

TRANSCRIPT OF GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION AT AIRPORT

BY THE

THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AT THE KAI TAK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AFTER HIS ANNUAL LEAVE THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON: -

WITH MY GOVERNOR: GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM GLAD TO BE BACK IN HONG KONG

THAT THE FAMILY AFTER A HOLIDAY. I'M OBVIOUSLY PARTICULARLY PLEASED

AWAY. MRS TERRITORY'S BEEN IN SUCH EXCELLENT HANDS WHILE I'VE BEEN

LAST

WITH WEEKS

THE MAIN ME HAS KEPT

IN TOUCH OVER THE

A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENTS. I

WORK AGAIN TOMORROW WITH START EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND IT'S GOING TO BE A BUSY AUTUMN, A POINT TO WHICH I'LL RETURN IN A MOMENT.

CHAN

I WAS I LEFT HONG KNOW, AN

I

THE

OF IN HONG

WE

THERE ARE JUST THREE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SAY. WHILE ENGAGED IN TALKS WITH MINISTERS IN LONDON, JUST AFTER KONG,

WE SUFFERED THE KWUN LUNG LAU LANDSLIDE WHICH WAS, I

CONDOLENCES TO THE APPALLING TRAGEDY AND I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER MY FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO LOST LOVED ONES. CLEARLY, THE SUBJECT SAFETY OF OUR SLOPES IS ONE THAT RIGHTLY CONCERNS EVERYONE KONG AND EQUALLY CONCERNS THE GOVERNMENT. WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING

AS YOU CAN TO

ENSURE AS MUCH SAFETY AS POSSIBLE. WE'VE BROUGHT IN, KNOW, AN INTERNATIONAL EXPERT TO HELP US LOOK AT WHAT WE WERE DOING AT HAS PRESENT AND TO HELP US DO BETTER IN FUTURE. I AM PLEASED THAT HE STARTED WORK AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING RECOMMENDATIONS AS SOON AS HE COMPLETES THEM AND TO

THE LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME OF HIS WORK WITH THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND

OUR CLIMATIC AND COUNCIL

I REPEAT, GIVEN THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. I

WHICH SUBJECT

RIGHTLY CONDITIONS AND GIVEN THE TOPOGRAPHY, IT'S A CONCERNS PEOPLE AND WE HAVE TO GIVE IT VERY CONSIDERABLE PRIORITY AN ADMINISTRATION.

HIS REPORT AND DISCUSSING THE

AS

DISTRICT

RECORD NUMBER

WE SECONDLY,

TIME THE HAVE IN ABOUT THREE WEEKS'

OF BOARDS ELECTIONS. I AM PLEASED THAT THERE IS A

THAT DEMONSTRATES THE CANDIDATES FOR

ELECTIONS AND I THINK THOSE

SYSTEM OF IMPORTANCE

TO OUR WHICH THE WHOLE COMMUNITY ATTACHES

AN DISTRICT BOARD ADMINISTRATION. THE DISTRICT BOARDS, WE KNOW, HAVE

AM PLEASED IMPORTANT ROLE AT THE GRASS ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY AND I

WOMEN, THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE PRESENTING THEMSELVES, CAPABLE MEN AND

TO ENSURE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND TO WORK WITH US IN GOVERNMENT THAT THE VIEWS AND VOICES OF THOSE WHO LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AS WE FRAME PUBLIC POLICY. I HOPE THERE WILL BE TURNOUT IN THOSE ELECTIONS, REFLECTING THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT LEAST THE FACT THAT THOSE WHO ARE ELECTED WILL FORM THE COMMITTEE FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN 1995.

A GOOD THE EVENT,

ELECTION

/THIRDLY, AS