TNAG-1501-FCO40-2059-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 78

TABLED A MOTON HIN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CALLING FOR THE SHELVING OF THE DAYA BAY PROJECT FLEW TO HONG KONG ON 29 JUL AND HE WAS ON THE

SAME PLANE WITH MR. MARTIN LEE. THE VISHTING BRITISH MP, WHO

CLAIMED THAT HE WAS HAVING A PRIVATE VINSHIT IN HONG KONG, WAS NTERVIEWED BY RADIO 3. DURING THE INTERVIEW, HE ACCUSED THE

GOVERNMENT FOR IGNORING PUBLIC CONCERN OVER THE DAYA BAY PROJECT.

HE ALSO URGED THE ANTONUCLEAR GROUPS TO STEP UP THEIR CAMPANGN

AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.

4. SOME PAPERS REPORTED THAT THE IDEA OF HOLDING A REFERENDUM ON

WHETHER THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SHOULD BE BUILT WAS

MOOTED BY SOME LEGCO MEMBERS. HAT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THE CHAIRMAN

OF THE CHRISTAIN INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE, DR. L.K. DING, PLEDGED SUPPORT TO THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM. PROMINENT COVERAGE WAS GIVEN TO

THE ACTING GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT THAT THE REFERENDUM SHOULD BE

RULED OUT AS IT WAS NOT A SATISFACTORY WAY OF DEALING WITH SUCH A

COMPLICATED SUBJECT. THE MEDIA REPORTED THAT THE ACTING GOVERNOR

HAD STRESSED THAT THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WAS A CHINESE

PROJECT AND THAT IT WAS NOT FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE TO DECIDE WHETHER

IF SHOULD BE BUNLT. SEPARATELY, THE MEDIA ALSO REPORTED THE VIEW

EXPRESSED BY DR. PETER WESLEY SMITH THAT POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS

WOULD RULE OUT THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM.

5. THE ANTI-NUCLEAR GROUPS WERE NOT THE ONLY VOCAL PEOPLE ON THE

DAYA BAY ISSUE. A NEWLY ESTABLISHED GROUP COMPRISING 113 MEMBERS

(FROM DISTRICT BOARDS, URBCO, REGCO, ACADEMIC FIELDS AND VARIOUS

PROFESSIONS) HAD BEEN STARTING A CAMPAIGN IN A DIRECTION QUITE

DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE LAUNCHED BY THE ANTH-NUCLEAR GROUPS. THE

NEW GROUP PLACED AN ADVERTISEMENT ON THE NEWSPAPERS ON 4 AUGUST

ADVOCATING A SCHENTHEMC APPROACH TO THE DAY BAY ISSUE. IN THE

ADVERTISEMENT, THE GROUP DENOUNCED THE BLIND OPPOSITION TO THE

DAYA BAY PROJECT. IT STRESSED THAT NUCLEAR ENERGY WAS AN ADVANCED

TECHNOLOGY AND IT WAS RIGTH FOR HONG KONG AND CHINA TO DEVELOP THIS

TECHNOLOGY: THAT IT WAS NECESSARY, FROM AN ECONOMIC POINT OF VIEW,

FOR HONG KONG TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR POWER: THAT THE PEOPLE IN HONG KONG

SHOULD GET BALANCED VIEWS AND HAVE OBJECTIVE ANALYSES ON THE DAYA

BAY #SSUE AND THAT THE SAFETY STANDARDS OF THE DAYA BAY PROJECT

SHOULD BE HIGHER THAN THE INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS. THE

GROUP ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WOULD LAUNCH A PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN TO

EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND WOULD ORGANISE STUDY MISSIONS TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO COLLECT NUCLEAR #NFORMATION. 4T WAS SAND THAT THE

ANTI-NUCLEAR GROUPS WERE WATCHING THIS DEVELOPMENT AS THEY TOOK THIS

AS A MOVE TO COUNTER THEMR ANTI-NUCLEAR CAMPAIGN.

6. THE FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORTS DEALING WITH SITE SELECTION, EQUIPMENT STUDY AND SYSTEM DESIGN, WHICH WERE DISTRIBUTED TO THE LEGCO MEMBERS ON 28 JULY, ATTRACTED DIVERSE COMMENTS. SOME PAPERS ("IN PARTICULAR THE LEFT-WING PRESS) WERE CONVINCED THAT THE

REPORTS HAD ALLAYED PUBLIC FEARS AND HAD REASSURED THE PUBLIC THAT

THE GOVERNMENT WAS RECEPTIVE TO THE REQUEST FOR A MORE OPEN GOVERNMENT. ON THE OTHER HAND, MANY PAPERS WERE CRITICAL OF THE FACT

Confidential

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