TNAG-1658-FCO40-2306-Daya-Bay-nuclear-power-station-project-safety-concerns-in-Ho-1987 — Page 188

OCT 16 '87 16:35 TIBCOOUD HK GOVT

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However, Ming Pao quoted another deputy director of the Nuclear Electricity Bureau, Xiao Guozhong, as saying that the NNSA was responsible for the monitoring of the safety of the plant.

Mr Xiao said his bureau was currently studying the feasibility of the proposed remedial measures and that endorsement from the NNSA must be sought before work on the foundation layer could resume.

The South China Morning Post reported on the front page that China had no plans to establish an agency to monitor the safety of the Daya Bay plant. It quoted Mr Yu as saying that no advisory group, regulatory or consultative, would be set up as a watchdog for the plant.

Some media reports said that Legco member Martin Lee said he was shocked to learn that work on the reactor in question would resume in one week's time before thorough examinations on the feasibility of the remedial measures wete carried out. He said that this was an irresponsible move by the Chinese authorities.

In other developments, convenor of the Legco ad hoc group on the Daya Bay project Wong Po-yan said yesterday that he would, in today's meeting of the group, propose for the setting up of a panel of local structural engineers to study the proposed remedial measures.

One of the Legco group members, Foon Chung-kwong, said that it was the right time to press the Chinese authorities to set up an advisory committee comprising HK people to monitor the Daya Bay plant.

Another Legco member Cheng Hon-kwan was quoted by Sing Tao Jih Pao as saying that the HK Government and the HK Nuclear Investment Company were trying to cover up the incident. He said he visited the alte on September 16, two days after work on the reactor was suspended, but was not informed of the errors.

The paper and the HK Standard reported that the HK Government would seek an explanation from the authorities concerned on why two of its officials, who represented the Government in the HKNIC, were informed of the incident 12 days after the foundation work was suspended.

One of the two officials, Secretary for Economic Services, Anson Chan, said she would raise the question with the HKNIC.

In a separate report on the front-page, Sing Tao quoted PAS for Economic Services John Wilson as saying that the public should have confidence on remedial measures proposed by the French contractor as they had a lot of experience.

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