XN000022-1995-01-20 — Page 4

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Question: What's your reaction to Lâu Shan Ching's winning of the legal battle?

Governor: Well, the judge has announced his decision. He hasn't yet let us have his full comprehensive written decision and, I think, we'll all be well advised not to comment until we have seen it. Obviously, we'll want to read what the judge has said and study it in detail.

Question: Two things about the VMs. First of all, what suggestion is the Hong Kong Government going to put forward in next month's summit in Jakarta, and secondly, after the Vietnamese have learnt that they are going to be repatriated as soon as possible, what instructions does the CSD have to release the tension in the camps ...?

Governor: Well, on the second point, first, the CSD has a difficult job in carrying through these repatriations. We carry them out in as caring and careful a way as possible. We've seen some of the consequences alas of that. In the last operation, in which some of those concerned took extremely unfortunate advantage of the fore knowledge they had received about their moves, but I think the Correctional Services Department always learning from their experience of these operations, do a great deal to calm the atmosphere and to encourage those who're travelling to do so peacefully. We have just carried out the largest single mandatory repatriation, over a hundred returning to Vietnam this week. And I hope that's a sign of things to come. I got no doubt at all that the mandatory programme is extremely important to the voluntary programme. We haven't had as big figures for the voluntary programme this year, and that I have no doubt is partly because there was a gap of about five months, for we had to hold the mandatory programme for understandable reasons after White Head. On the first point, we do think it is important to give the CPA some additional impetus and momentum. So we were very pleased at the UNHCR's decision to appoint a new regional co-ordinator, Mr de Mello, who has a very distinguished reputation, who knows about some of the problems in the region. And we trust that will enable us all to work more successfully in the region to deal with what is a common problem.

Question: In regard to the Court of Final Appeal dispute, now the two professional groups had different opinion, as you know, how would the government manage... this scenario?

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