TNAG-1501-FCO40-2059-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 49

AUG 07 86 14:31 TIB (OOL) HK GOVT

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Centre Daily News continued to attack Ming Pao's anti-Daya Bay stand. The paper said Ming Pao was trying to threaten HK people and Chinese leaders by exaggerating the effects of likely rumours on radiation leaks at Daya Bay.

Saturday, July 26: In moderate coverage, many papers published a Reuter report released in Peking yesterday, quoting British diplomats as saying that Britain had passed on to Chinese leaders the concerns of HK residents over the safety of a nuclear power plant to be built at Daya Bay.

The diplomats said ambassadors of Britain and France met Chinese Vice-Premier Li Peng early last week to discuss the rise in anti-nuclear feeling in HK.

"all the three countries are taking into One diplomat said account the reasonable concerns of the people of HK about the safety aspects of the Daya Bay project,

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The diplomats said the three countries were looking at ways to improve publicity on steps being taken to ensure the safety of the plant during construction and use.

According to the report, other Western diplomats in Peking said they understood the Chinese were determined to go ahead with the Daya Bay plant despite opposition in HK.

The "Outlook" magazine published a "Peking correspondence" in its latest edition saying that China had not changed and would not change its policy on the construction of the Daya Bay plant, according to the HK Economic Journal,

It was stated in the letter that there should not be any worry as the Central Goverment was concerned about the safety aspect of the plant from the outset and had drawn up strict regulations relating to the plant.

Umelco public utilities panel convenor Maria Tam told ATV-C's "Weekend Snapshots" that information to be collected by Legco delegates during their study missions would be assessed objectively.

Senior lecturer in biochemistry at the Chinese University of HK, Tao Wang-wai, told a dinner gathering that there were indications that more people were switching their concerns on the safety aspect of the Daya Bay plant to the question of management as they had no confidence on China's management ability.

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