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THIS MEANS THAT WE MUST AIM TO START WORK BEFORE THE END OF
OCTOBER IF WE ARE TO HAVE THE FIRST STAGE AVAILABLE FOR THE PEAK SUMMER PERIOD NEXT YEAR.
5.
THE CRITICAL QUESTION IS OF COURSE FUNDING AND THE NEED ΤΟ HAVE THE NECESSARY COMMITMENTS IN PLACE QUICKLY TO ENABLE US TO START WORK. WE JUDGE THAT FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD BE PREPARED TO
VOTE FUNDS FOR THE TAI A CHAU PROJECT ONCE THE MANDATORY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME IS IN PLACE AND PROVIDED THERE WAS TO BE
A SIMILAR CONTRIBUTION FROM EITHER HMG OR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. AN INTERNATIONAL APPEAL, E.G. VIA UNHCR, WOULD TAKE FAR TOO LONG AND BE FAR TOO UNCERTAIN IN ITS FINAL OUTCOME. WE HAVE THEREFORE CONCLUDED THAT A 50/50 SHARING OF THE COSTS
BETWEEN HMG AND HKG WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED.
6.
TIMING REMAINS DIFFICULT. SEEN FROM HERE, WE WILL NOT BE IN A POSITION TO CLAIM THAT THE MANDATORY REPATRIATION SCHEME
HAS BEEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED UNTIL LATE NOVEMBER AT THE EARLIEST.
THE RETURN OF ONE SMALL GROUP OF NON-VOLUNTEERS IS UNLIKELY
TO BE SUFFICIENT TO CONVINCE MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE
THAT THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS LONG TUNNEL. WE WOULD
LIKE TO BE IN A POSITION TO POINT TO THE RETURN OF A LEAST TWO GROUPS BY AIR, AND TO PROGRESS WITH PLANNING FOR THE RETURN OF LARGER GROUPS BY SEA, BEFORE APPROACHING FINANCE COMMITTEE FOR FUNDS FOR TAI A CHAU.
7.
WE UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTIES FOR YOU IN ACCEPTING THE CASE FOR FURTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HONG KONG. BUT, IF WE ARE TO HAVE A RESERVE OF VBP ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE
NEXT SUMMER, WE MUST ASK YOU TO CONSIDER OUR REQUEST AS A MATTER OF URGENCY. IF HMG WERE ABLE TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO COVER 50 PER CENT OF THE COST OF THE TAI A CHAU PROJECT BEFORE
THE END OF OCTOBER WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE START
ON THE DEVELOPMENT WORK. WE WOULD ALSO FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT SECURING FINANCE COMMITTEE AGREEMENT TO COVER THE OTHER 50
PER CENT OF THE COSTS AS SOON AS MANDATORY REPATRIATION
IN PLACE.
8.
IS
IN PRESENTING OUR CASE TO FINANCE COMMITTEE AND EXPLAINING THE DECISION TO DEVELOP TAI A CHAU TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WE WOULD DRAW ATTENTION TO OUR PLANS TO CLOSE DOWN OTHER, MORE CONTENTIOUS, CAMPS. EVEN IF THERE IS NO MAJOR INFLUX NEXT YEAR WE WOULD STILL PLAN TO MAKE FULL USE OF TAI A CHAU. SHAM
SHUI PO AND SEK KONG WOULD CLOSE. TAI A CHAU WOULD THEN UNDER
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