TNAG-1497-FCO40-2055-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 44

fikk 160/1

RODEIVED IN

16 JUN 1926

CONFIDENTIAL

03

137

The Baton

GRS 1200

CONFM-DENT-PAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1738

OF 050845Z JUNE 86

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

134

FURTHER TO PARAGRAPH ↳ OF OUR TELEGRAM NO. 1716 OF 4 JUNE 1986, WE PRODUCE BELOW FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF

THE EDITORIAL IN MING PAO:

**HONG KONG WOULD BECOME A DEAD CITY.

WHEN CHINA FIRST DECIDED TO BUILD A NUCLEAR PLANT HIN DAYA BAY,

THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG DID NOT SHOW MUCH CONCERN OVER THE

MATTER. THOUGH CERTAIN PEOPLE MENTIONED THE SAFETY PROBLEM, THE GENERAL PUBLIC FELT THAT DESPITE THE MANY NUCLEAR PLANTS IN MANY

PARTS OF THE WORLD, NO DISASTROUS ACCIDENTS HAD OCCURRED OVER THE PAST THIRTY YEARS. MOREOVER, WHILE THE THREE MILE ISLAND IN THE

U.S. HAD HAD A MAJOR ACCIDENT ONCE, THE CONSEQUENCE HAD NOT BEEN TOO SERIOUS. AND, WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, THE THREAT OF DANGER WOULD CORRESPONDINGLY BE MINIMISED. HOWEVER, IN THE

WAKE OF THE SUDDEN EXPLOSION OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT AN

UKRAINE, USSR IN THE LAST TEN DAYS OF APRIL WHICH RESULTED IN THE

SPREADING OF RADIOACTIVE FALLOUTS TO AS FAR AS WEST EUROPE, THE

DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT ISSUE HAS AROUSED AN UPROAR IN HONG KONG.

-

IT IS BECAUSE THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT IS ONLY 50 KM APART

FROM HONG KONG AND IT ONLY TAKES A DAY TO WALK TO THE SITE..IF THE

CHERNOBYL INCIDENT SHOULD OCCUR IN THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT AND

EVEN OF THE INCIDENT IS ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE, SURELY HONG KONG WILL BECOME A DEAD CITY IN A WEEK'S TIME AND THE PROSPERITY HONG

KONG NOW ENJOYS MAY NOT BE REVIVED TWENTY YEARS LATER:

BOTH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THOSE REPRESENTING THE

OFFICIAL VIEW HAVE LAND STRESS ON THE SAFETY OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR PLANT, SAYING THAT ITS DESIGN IS MUCH MORE ADVANCED THAN THAT OF THE SOVET UNION'S CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT AND THAT IT IS

UNLIKELY THAT A SIMILAR ACCIDENT WILL OCCUR. THEY ASK THE PEOPLE

OF HONG KONG TO PUT THEIR HEART AT EASE.

WE CANNOT PUT OUR HEART AT EASE ABSOLUTELY, NOR CAN WE PUT OUR

HEART AT EASE COMPLETELY.

CONFIDENTIAL

\WE