XN000022-1995-09-01 — Page 3

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Governor: I think everybody recognises the extreme inconvenience caused particularly of course to the residents of Tuen Mun by the closure of the Highway. I think that while noting that inconvenience, most of the community would accept that the Government's overwhelming responsibility is to avoid accidents, to avoid anything that could lead to loss of life. And it's, I think, relevant to this difficult issue that there was a rock fall on the road today, which is an indication of the sort of problems that we've got. Both the Chief Secretary and I have been kept in very close touch with the arrangements that are being made, both for increasing the number of ferry services and for increasing the bus services and making special provision for the buses to get through on the Castle Peak Road. But we've asked the Secretary for Works and a group of engineers to visit the Tuen Mun Highway tomorrow to have another look at what's being done and what needs to be done and to report to both Anson Chan and myself as a matter of urgency and to let the District Board members know exactly what the situation is and how quickly the road can be back in service. The District Board members are understandably anxious, reflecting the views of the community and we'll want to keep them fully informed about the situation. We've got an excellent Secretary for Works and he and the Commissioner for Transport will be keeping in touch with the local community.

Question: Do the Tuen Mun residents have to torture another week?

Governor: What we've got to do is to protect the Tuen Mun residents from the consequences of opening the road too early. We didn't take this decision yesterday, the Chief Secretary and I, lightly. We listened to the advice of experts and we obviously had to follow that advice. If we had ignored that advice, and if there had then been an accident leading for example to injury or loss of life, we would have quite properly been pilloried by the community for taking unnecessary risks. So what we've got to do is to be as careful as possible but to get the road back in use as rapidly as we can. We'll spare no effort, we'll spare no expense to do that, I can assure you.

Question: Do you have any plan to visit the district within a few days?

Governor: I'll be talking after the Secretary for Works' visit tomorrow. I'll be talking to him. If he and I think it would be useful to visit Tuen Mun again, for me to visit Tuen Mun again, I'll certainly do so. I was there not very long ago. If it would be useful rather than impeding the work that's got to be done on the Highway, then I'll do that.

Question: The District Board members have requested you to visit the district.