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OF THE NEW TERRITORIES AND ON THE OUTLYING ISLANDS, AN UNDERWATER SIT-IN BY 80 MEMBERS OF AN AQUATIC CLUB AND A DRIVE-SLOW BY SOME 4,000 TAXIS, MINIBUSES AND OTHER VEHICLES. THE PAPERS REPORTED TODAY (30.5) THAT THERE HAD BEEN A MARKED DROP IN THE NUMBER OF PETITIONS TO THE NCNA HK OFFICE, WITH ONLY ABOUT 10 PEOPLE STAGING A SIT-IN OUTSIDE THE OFFICE YESTERDAY. LAST WEEK, THERE HAD BEEN A STREAM OF PETITIONS TO THE OFFICE BY RELIGIOUS GROUPS, LABOUR UNIONS, TAXIS, JOURNALISTS, SCHOOL BUSES AND EVEN SOME 150 MAMA-SANS FROM TWO NIGHTCLUBS TO VOICE THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENT MOVEMENT.
5. THE PAPERS (30.5) REPORTED THAT THE FEDERATION OF STUDENTS AND THE ALL HK ALLIANCE HAD SO FAR RAISED MORE THAN HKD20 MILLION IN SUPPORT OF THE PEKING STUDENTS. THE TWO ORGANISATIONS WOULD LATER HOLD A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE SETTING UP OF A DONATION MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
TO CENTRALLY HANDLE THE FUND.
6. MEANWHILE, IT WAS REPORTED TODAY (30.5) THAT HOPEWELL HOLDINGS HAD DECIDED TO SCRAP ITS HKD3,800 MILLION CAPITAL RAISING PLAN TO FUND PROJECTS IN CHINA. THE REPORTS SAID THAT THE UNDERWRITERS BELEIVED THAT THE RISK WAS TOO HIGH TO INVEST IN MAJOR PROJECTS IN
CHINA IN VIEW OF THE CURRENT SITUATION.
7. THE MEDIA REPORTED ON SATURDAY (27.5) THAT THE PRIME MINISTER, SPEAKING IN PARLIAMENT ON MAY 25, HAD SAID THAT THERE MUST BE VERY GREAT CONCERN IN HK ABOUT EVENTS IN CHINA. SHE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS VERY MUCH IN CHINA'S LONG-TERM INTERESTS TO MAKE THE HK AGREEMENT WORK AND TO SEE HK REMAIN STABLE AND PROSPEROUS. UK WOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THIS.
COMMENTARIES
THE
8. THERE HAD BEEN NUMEROUS EDITORIAL COMMENTS. THE GENERAL FEELING WAS THAT IT WAS APPROPRIATE FOR HK PEOPLE TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE STUDENTS' PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT AS THEY SAW DEMOCRACY IN CHINA AS THE BEST GUARANTEE FOR DEMOCRACY IN HK IN FUTURE. DIVERGENT VIEWS WERE EXPRESSED BY THE PAPERS ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDENT MOVEMENT IN PEKING FOR THE BL (BASIC
LAW).
SOME PAPERS, LIKE SING TAO WAN PAO AND THE HKS, BELIEVED THAT THE DRAFTING OF THE BL SHOULD BE PUT ON HOLD WHILE OTHERS, LIKE THE POST, BELIEVED THAT THE BL WAS THE ONLY AVENUE TO SAFEGUARD HK IN THE FUTURE.
ADVERTISEMENTS
9. GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS CONTINUE TO PLACE ADVERTISEMENTS IN
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