XN000022-1995-02-23 — Page 13

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Governor: It is our objective to see all Vietnamese migrants returned before 30 June 1997. We want to see them all return home and I don't want anybody to have the impression that if they hang around long enough they will be allowed to stay in Hong Kong or they will get an easy berth to some other community. I just add, that one of the reasons why Vietnam is doing as well as it is, is because of the huge Hong Kong investment in Vietnam. Our entrepreneurs, certainly I think in terms of cash but maybe also in terms of the number of actual investment opportunities, are top of the league in Vietnam.

Miss Emily Lau: Thank you Mr President. I want to ask the Governor a question on law and order. I think in these final days of colonial rule there is a lot of concern about possible deterioration in law and order amongst the entire community and also amongst the international investors and this concern stems from the fact that because of the rapid growing ties with China, the fact that in China there is scant regard for law and order and also there is rampant corruption and we're afraid that that sort of practice would be imported into Hong Kong. There is also concern because of law reforms to do away with some of the outdated and sweeping powers but people are afraid that the law enforcement agencies feel that some of their effective weapons have been taken away and so the question of finding the right balance and finally concern because of the declining authority of the Administration.

So Mr President, I want to ask the Governor whether he feels that these concerns are justified and why we all feel that Hong Kong is right now still a fairly safe city, does he already see signs that people should be concerned about and most importantly what is the Administration doing to address these concerns? Thank you.

Governor: The Honourable lady always manages to pack a great deal into a question and usually asks the most important questions and I don't think there is a more important question than this one for us all to address and concern ourselves with over the next two and a half years. Why? Because the rule of law is part of the magic that's produced Hong Kong. Apart from a harbour, Hong Kong has no natural resources to speak of, but it does have the entrepreneurialism of the people of Hong Kong and it does have a body of rules and laws which mean that people can go about their lives as they wish. That they can conduct business in a clean way. That they can know that their own rights and freedoms won't be abused by anybody, by anybody. They have those protections and they have that certainty which produces two things. First of all it helps to produce the ideal conditions for prosperity and secondly it produces a decent, generous, caring, ordered society.