1990-09-19 11:07 INFORMATION SERVICES DEPT
852 521 7725
P.91/07
MsMajor
TO: All Overseas Officers FROM: DIS (Lange)
DATE: 19.9.90
LOG: OPRS/LI 760 PAGE: →
ENGLISH MEDIA
Stock Market Report for 18.9.90 Hang Seng Index: 2996.66 (-15.01 Turnover: HK$598.99m (+$141
PAY INCREASES FOR DISCIPLINED SERVICES
(691) the Furios Mark
ورورس
The South China Morning Post and the HK Standard reported prominently on the salary increases approved by Exco for the six disciplined services. The Post noted in its front-page lead that the decision to grant junior police officers had aggravated a feud between police ranks and the five other disciplined services. HKS said in its front page that leaders of the Disciplined Services Consultative Council last night reacted strongly against getting left behind by a "substantial" police salary increase. In an editorial titled "Time to accept bonus and get on with the job", SCMP said that the services should now thank the public with their loyalty. Rivalry among them and their feud with the Government had dragged on long enough to the distraction of the more pressing requirements of getting their jobs done.
AIRPORT PROJECT
In its front-page lead, the Standard noted that the FCO Minister with special responsibility for HK, Lord Caithness, and the Governor, Sir David Wilson, confirmed that China had been invited to send experts to HK to study the airport issue. Lord Caithness said that Britain had invited Chinese officials to HK to see first hand details and sites relating to the airport project. He said that the UK would welcome talks on the mammoth project. SCMP reported that the Government declined an offer to publicly debate the port and airport development projects with a panel of experts including construction tycoon Gordon Wu in last night's forum on infrastructural developments organised by the HK Economic Association. In the forum, Mr Wu said that the HK Government was "without democracy" and "more communistic than the communist countries", the Standard reported. He also declared himself public enemy number one. The paper also noted that Exco yesterday overruled four objections to reclamation work at Lantau and Chek Lap Kok island for the proposed airport.
SOCIAL WELFARE WHITE PAPER
Both papers accorded extensive coverage to the release of the Draft White Paper on social welfare in HK. The Post in the front page said that plans for improved social welfare services in the next 10 years could be hampered by the lack of social workers, said the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Elizabeth Wong. The paper noted that the draft painted a grim picture, with more juvenile delinquents, greater levels of family violence and more single-parent families. It also said that the recommendations to improve child welfare services, especially for children at risk from abuse, generally won support, although social workers wanted bolder measures. The Post reported that the Social Workers' General Union said the territory's growing elderly population should be given greater financial allowances to help them take care of themselves. HKS noted that social work leaders expressed concern that the Government would be reluctant to pay for the proposals of the draft white paper. In an editorial, the Standard noted that HK's community might have been left largely to itself to make the best of the territory's laissez-faire policies. But
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