27.
He said that funding was made available to many different support groups to enable them to provide training and skill-upgrading programmes at affordable prices. The Government had injected $250 million into the Industrial Support Fund this year to finance projects that were beneficial to the industrial and technological development of Hong Kong.
"In 1996-97, the Government injected another $50 million to set up a Services Support Fund to assist services-related projects," he added.
In addition to the infrastructural support rendered by the Government, Mr Tsang also said that when SME's access to market had been unreasonably restricted by unjustified actions of foreign governments, the Government would go all out to ensure that they got a fair hearing and adjudication.
"Our independent membership in the World Trade Organisation gives us the channel to do so, and we do not shy away from using it," Mr Tsang said.
In response to the globalisation of economic activities, intense competition in the market and rapid technological changes, Mr Tsang said the Government had established a Small and Medium Enterprises Committee to listen more closely to their views, and to strengthen the partnership with them to compete in the global market.
Mr Tsang said: "We are always there to support our SMEs in generating profit, creating prosperity, and providing new employment opportunities for Hong Kong."
End
Whitehead Detention Centre to close next month
The Whitehead Detention Centre for Vietnamese migrants (VMs) will be closed on January 3, 1997, the Refugee Coordinator, Mr Brian Bresnihan, said today (Thursday).
Since 1989, over 61,000 VMs have been repatriated to Vietnam under the voluntary (volrep) and orderly repatriation programmes (ORP). As at December 4, about 7,700 VMs remained in Hong Kong, of whom approximately 1,700 are in Whitehead.
Mr Bresnihan said that the rate of repatriation had been successfully accelerated over the past few months.
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