TNAG-1501-FCO40-2059-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 80

(UN) NCNA HAD ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE STATING THAT CHINA WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE OPPOSMITH ON TO THE SUPPORT FOR THE DAYA BAY PROJECT

DEVELOP INTO A CONFRONTATION THUS UNDERMINING HONG KONG'S

STABILITY:

(***) THE OVERSEAS EDITION OF PEOPLE'S DAINLY PUBLISHED #INTERVIEWS

WITH RESPONSIBLE PERSONS OF THE GNPJVC WHO ARGUED THAT THE DAYA

BAY PLANT WOULD BE SAFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF LOCATHON,

OPERATION AND CONTINGENCY ARRANGEMENTS: AND

(W) THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS ISSUED A NUMBER OF COMMENTARIES

CRITICASING MING PAO FOR THIS ANTI-DAYA BAY STAND.

9. THE ARTICLE IN SUNDAY'S OBSERVER EXPOSING THE ALLEGED INTERNAL

WORRIES EXPRESSED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ABOUT THE HARWELL

CONSULTANCY, WHICH WAS REPORTED BY HONG KONG STANDARD ON 28 JULY,

WAS ALSO PICKED UP BY THE CHINESE PAPERS INCLUDING THE ORIENTAL

DAILY NEWS AND SNG PAO. THIS ARTICLE HAD APPARENTLY RENEWED MEDIA

#NTEREST IN THE HARWELL CONSULTANCY. THE SUBSEQUENT PRESS RELEASE

SSUED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO CLARIFY THE PRESENT

POSITION OF THE CONSULTANCY STUDY WAS PROMINENTLY REPORTED (THE

TEXT OF THE PRESS RELEASE WAS CONTAINED IN OUR TELNO. 2472). THE

MEDIA REPORTS HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED TO EXPAND

THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE ACCIDENT ASSESSMENT AND CONTINGENCY

PLAN STUDIES AND THAT A TEAM OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WOULD SOON

GO TO MEET THE CONSULTANTS TO DISCUSS DETAILS OF THE EXPANDED CONSULTANCY. IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT, SCMP PUBLISHED AN ARTHCLE

ON 1 AUGUST SUGGESTING THAT THE HARWELL REPORT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION

STRATEGY HAD BECOME OUTDATED BECAUSE OF THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

(SEE OUR TELNO U/N OF 1 AUGUST). HIT WAS WIDELY REPORTED THAT SES TOLD ATV-E'S ''NEWSLINE'' ON 2 AUGUST THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD

BE PRODUCING A CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR HONG KONG BASED ON THE ACCIDENT

ASSESSMENT STUDY ON THE DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER PROJECT M'N THE

HARWELL REPORT TO DEAL WITH THE HIGHLY UNLIKELY POSSIBILITY OF ACCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS AT DAYA BAY. (A VIDEO TAPE ON THE INTERVIEW

WILL BE SENT TO HARWELL.)

10. THE MEDHA NOTED THAT MR. WONG PO-YAN, A LEGCO MEMBER, SANND AT

A RECENT DINNER GATHERHING THAT CHINA WOULD GO AHEAD WITH THE DAYA

BAY PROJECT AND THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE BETTER

UNDERSTANDING OF THE SAFETY OF PRESSURISED WATER REACTORS. N A

PRIVATE MEETING WITH FS ON 30 JULY, MR, WONG MADE THE FOLLOWING

POINTS

K

(4) ALTHOUGH MATTERS WERE APPARENTLY A LITTLE QUIETER SINCE THE LEGCO ADJOURNMENT DEBATE, WE SHOULD NOT BE DECEIVED INTO THINKING THAT THIS WAS THE END OF THE MATTER. ONCE THERE WERE FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SIGNING OF CONTRACTS, THEN PUBLIC

PRESSURE AND MEDIA INTEREST WOULD BUILD UP AGAIN AND IT MIGHT BE

WORSE THE NEXT TIME AROUND:

Confidential

(II) D.