TNAG-1658-FCO40-2306-Daya-Bay-nuclear-power-station-project-safety-concerns-in-Ho-1987 — Page 133

OCT 29 '97 10:27 TIBCOOU) HK GOVT

A round-up of media reports and commentaries

on the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station 15.10.87 21.10.87

P.2

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Thursday, October 15 A PAS for Economic Services, John Wilson, said yesterday that the Government had learnt that the Guangdong Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company had not yet informed the contractors when work on the foundation of a nuclear reactor at Daya Bay could resume, the papers reported in rountine coverage.

Ta Kung Pao reported prominently that the director of the JVC's public relations department, Yu Jiechun, said that there were strict rules governing the procedures on when construction work could be resumed.

In another development, the HK Standard, in an exclusive story ca the front page, said the blunder that stopped construction of the Days Bay reactor happened while a senior French engineer who normally read the blueprints was 1. Paris.

Quoting sournes La Shezchen, the report seld the engineer'e replacement misread the plane.

Commentarias Writing in Ming Pao Evening Newa (14.10) yesterday Wong Kai-yuen said that the Lagoo ad hoc group on the Daya Bay project was useless as it had no power to perfora a monitoring function.

Sing Tao Wan Fao (14.10) said yesterday that the people of HR wera shocked because the Nuclear Electricity Bureau and the National Nuclear Safety Administration had not putsced the question of responsibility.

Sing Tao Jih Pao (15.10) said editorially that the people of HK hoped that the authorities concemed would meke a practical, responsible and detailed explanation for the incident.

Ching Po (15.10) said it was only natural that the people of HK were shocked by the incident as they still had fears about nuclear radiation. Too many requests put forward by soma people here meant that that they did not have faith in Chine and foreign experts. The paper felt that it was unrealistic for one to propose that construction work at the plant should be monitored and supervised by HK people.

Writing in Ming Fac's Op-ed page (15.10), Ching Kai-nam expressed doubts on the effectiveness of a proposed Independent group compilaing foreign experte to monitor the plant although the anggastion was well-intentioned.