TNAG-1505-FCO40-2063-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 148

ON 16 SEPTEMBER, WERE WIDELY REPORTED BY THE MEDIA. IT WAS SAND THAT THE FIVE LEGCO MEMBERS HAD ALTOGETHER RECEIVED ABOUT 11,000 RETURNS AND 8862 OF THEM WERE FOUND TO BE VALID. THE SURVEY SHOWED

THAT 73 PER CENT OF THE 8862 RESPONDENTS WERE AGAINST THE

CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLANT WHILE 13 PER CENT OF THEM SUPPORTED THE

PROJECT. COMPARED WITH A SIMILAR SURVEY CONDUCTED TWO MONTHS AGO,

THE PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS OPPOSED TO THE PLANT WAS ALMOST THE

SAME BUT THERE WAS A THREE PER CENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

IN FAVOUR OF THE PLANT. DR. LAI WAS OF THE VIEW THAT SUCH INCREASE

INDICATED THAT MOPE PEOPLE HAD ACCEPTED THAT THE DAYA BAY PLANT WAS

A FAIT ACCOMPLI. THE MEDIA NOTED THAT DR. RICHARD LA INTENDED TO

REFLECT THE RESULTS TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES DURING THE LEGCO

VISIT TO PEKING. MISS MARNA TAM, WHEN ASKED BY THE PRESS, SAID THAT THE LEGCO DELEGATION WOULD NOT RAISE THE MATTER DURING FORMAL

MEETINGS. NEVERTHELESS, THERE WAS NO OBJECTION TO INDIVIDUAL LEGCO

MEMBERS TAKING THIS UP DURING THEIR INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE

CHINESE OFFICIALS. IN THIS CONNECTION, SOME PAPERS SAID THAT DR.

CONRAD LAM (WHO WAS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH MR. MARTIN LEE) HAD GIVEN

A POSITION PAPER TO MR. STEPHEN CHEONG TO RAISE WITH THE CHINESE

AUTHORITIES DURING THE VISIT TO PEKING. IN HIS POSITION PAPER, DR. LAM URGED CHINA TO SHOW CONCERN ON THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THE PROJECT

#FT DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH IT.

5. THE VS NT BY THE ELEVEN MEMBERS OF THE LEGCO FACT-FINDING

DELEGATION TO PEKING BETWEEN 17 AND 21 SEPTEMBER WAS THE FOCUS OF

PRESS ATTENTION. THE STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE LEGCO DELEGATION PRIOR

TO THEIR DEPARTURE TO PEKING (FAXED TO YOU AND PARIS) WAS

PROMINENTLY REPORTED. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LEGCO DELEGATES HAD

BEEN ARRANGED TO STAY MN THE DAO YU TAH STATE GUEST HOUSE WHICH

WAS NORMALLY RESERVED FOR VISITING HEADS OF STATE AND IMPORTANT

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. THE DELEGATION WAS GREETED BY MR. KONG KANG

(HEAD OF THE SECOND DEPARTMENT UNDER THE HONG KONG AND MACAU

OFFICE) AND MR. LH YING XIANG (DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH CENTRE UNDER

THE MINISTRY OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY). THE LEGCO DELEGATES MET SEVERAL

CHINESE OFFICIALS INCLUDING THE MR. L PENG (VICE PREMIER), MR. ZHOU PHING (VICE-MINISTER OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY), MR. MA FU-BANG (DIRECTOR

OF NUCLEAR ENERGY BUREAU), MR. ZHANG YUMAN (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF

NATIONAL NUCLEAR SAFETY ADMINISTRATION) AND A NUMBER OF NUCLEAR

EXPERTS TO EXCHANGE VIEWS ON THE DAYA BAY PROJECT AND THE LEGCO

REPORT. UPON RETURN THE DELEGATION MADE A LONG PRESS STATEMENT ON

THEIR VISIT (ALREADY FAXED TO YOU AND PARIS) AND THIS IMMEDIATELY

BECAME THE HEADLINES OF MANY PAPERS. THE MEDHA HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE

LEGCO MEMBERS WERE PLEASED THAT THE LEGCO REPORT WAS FAVOURABLY

RECEIVED BY CHINA. NEVERTHELESS, THE DELEGATION HAD NOT MANAGED

TO PRESS FOR EXTENSION OF THE PRICE GUARANTEE AGREEMENT BEYOND THE

NITIAL 6-YEAR PERIOD. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT DR. RICHARD LA

(ONCE A SUPPORTER FOR MR. MARTIN LEE'S REQUEST FOR A LEGCO DEBATE) NOW CONCEDED THAT THE DECISION TO BUILD THE DAYA BAY PLANT COULD

NOT BE REVERTED. DR. LA ALSO ASKED THE ANTI-DAYA BAY LOBBY TO

SHIFT THEIR FOCUS OF ATTENTION FROM SHELVING THE PROJECT TO THE

SAFETY ASPECT OF THE PLANT. SOME PAPERS SAID THAT THE LEGCO REPORT

ON THE VISIT TO PEKING AND THE QUESTION OF DEBATING DAYA BAY IN

LEGCO WOULD BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT LEGCO IN-HOUSE MEETING ON 26 SEPTEMBER AND THAT THE SENIOR LEGCO UNOFFICIAL, MISS LYDIA DUNN, WOULD HOLD A PRESS MEETING AFTER THE MEETING.

-2-CONFIDENTIAL

16.