XN000022-1996-10-18 — Page 7

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Question: Could you specify?

Governor: No. But I can tell you what high means if you like.

Question: Governor, do you think (inaudible)?

Governor: Do I think the release of -- No. As you know there were legal arguments for the release today. I think that I am right in saying that Brian Bresnihan has already given a press briefing on the situation. I would just like to underline our determination to see the Vietnamese migrants returned from the camps as rapidly as possible.

The Vietnamese Vice-Foreign Minister was in London earlier this week. He had a meeting with the Foreign Secretary, Mr Rifkind, who pressed him to ensure that the Vietnamese authorities gave the maximum assistance to us in speeding up the repatriation programme. We will continue to press Vietnamese officials at every level - high levels, at every level so that we can discharge our obligations as soon as possible.

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Question: What are the chances of a snap election in Britain?

Governor: A snap election in Britain?

Question: Yes.

Governor: I haven't thought about elections for years.

Question: Ooh! Are you in favour of it?

Governor. It hasn't been the habit of a lifetime not to talk about British general elections but it has certainly been the habit of the last four and a half years and I won't be talking about elections when I go back. All the speeches I am making are on Hong Kong. I'm doing a couple of interviews - one with Sir David Frost, and 'Desert Island Discs' which meets one of the ambitions of my life, and it is conceivable that political issues may be raised there but I'll respond to them with a boringly straight bat. But thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to bore you into the ground.

End