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"He can, of course, choose not to register as a functional constituency elector," he added.

As for people who are eligible to register in a new functional constituency but have not yet registered in the General Electoral Roll, they could apply to the Registration Officer for registration at the same time in both the General Electoral Roll and a new functional constituency.

"Self-employed, free-lancers and other eligible persons could become electors in an appropriate new functional constituency by making an application to the Registration and Electoral Office," he said.

End/Thursday, December 8, 1994

Govt response to report on Kwun Lung Lau landslide

A Works Branch spokesman said today (Thursday) that an article in today's Eastern Express on the Kwun Lung Lau landslide which quoted a Civil Engineering Department officer as saying that the Government was responsible and that his Department should bear much of the blame, seriously misrepresented an earlier telephone enquiry to the officer. The article also contained untruths.

The spokesman pointed out that the Chief Geotechnical Engineer, Mr Chan Kin-sek, did not speak to any staff member of the Eastern Express yesterday (Wednesday) as reported in the article.

"Mr Chan has never said that his Department had been negligent," he added.

The spokesman also confirmed that the Secretary for Works, Mr James Blake, had not been approached by any Eastern Express reporter for comment in relation to the article. Therefore, there was no question of Mr Blake having refused to comment.

He said Mr Chan had given a telephone interview to the writer of the article on the work of the Geotechnical Engineering Office on December 1. The remarks attributed to Mr Chan in today's article were presented in an incorrect manner and were irresponsibly out of context.

M.