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PROJECT WE DISCUSSED.
15. CHEN ZOU'ER WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT UNDER THE OPERATION OF THE HK GOVERNMENT, THERE WERE SOME LONG-STANDING AND EFFECTIVE PRACTICES WHICH WOULD BE PRESERVED IN FUTURE AS STIPULATED IN THE BL. THE HK ECONOMIC TIMES REPORTED THAT THE CHINESE WERE PLANNING TO FORM A GROUP MAINLY TO STUDY PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE LAWS OF HK DURING THE TRANSITION. A FORMER BL DRAFTER, SHAO TIANREN, HAD ARRIVED HK RECENTLY AND HAD INVITED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM THE LEGAL PROFESSION, INCLUDING SIMON LEE, LIU YIU-CHU AND KENNETH CHOW, TO BECOME ADVISERS TO THE GROUP. LOCAL NPC DELEGATE ZEE SZE-YONG SAID THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT'S DECISION NOT TO ALLOW LOCAL NPC DELEGATES TO SIT ON LEGCO INDICATED THAT IT DID NOT RECOGNISE MEMBERS OF CHINA'S POLITICAL STRUCTURE AND THAT THIS WOULD RESULT IN A LACK OF TIES BETWEEN THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIES AND THE SAR.
AIRPORT
16. A LEGCO DEBATE ON THE AIRPORT PROJECT AND A BRIEFING FOR 200 MEMBERS OF THE DBS, THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND THE TWO MUNICIPAL COUNCILS BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY WERE GIVEN A GOOD RUN BY THE MEDIA. SIR PIERS TOLD LEGCO MEMBERS THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD SET UP A PUBLIC FUNDS CENTRAL MANAGEMENT GROUP TO OVERSEE THE USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS AND THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF USING THE EXCHANGE FUND AS HK WAS IN A VERY STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION. THE SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY, HAMISH MACLEOD, HAD RULED OUT THE USE OF THE EXCHANGE FUND TO FINANCE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING AND SAID THAT THE BRIDGE WOULD BE BASICALLY FINANCED LIKE OTHER PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS.
17. SURVEYOR KAN FOOK-YEE SAID THAT SINCE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE AIRPORT WOULD STRADDLE 1997, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JD, CHINA HAD THE RIGHT TO MAKE DECISIONS. A UNIVERSITY OF HK GEOGRAPHY LECTURER, VICTOR SIT, INDICATED THAT SOME ACADEMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HK WERE PLANNING TO SET UP AN ORGANISATION, CALLED THE 'AIRPORT FUND', TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AIRPORT PROJECT AND URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE MORE INFORMATION. THE NEW HK ALLIANCE HAD AGAIN STRONGLY CRITICISED THE EXTENSIVE POWERS OF THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
18. A MEMBER OF THE TEAM OF CHINESE EXPERTS TOLD THE EXPRESS THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S ANNOUNCEMENT INVITING TENDER FOR THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING WOULD DEFINITELY AFFECT THE PROGRESS MADE IN DISCUSSION BY THE EXPERT GROUP. THE HK ECONOMIC TIMES, QUOTING
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