TNAG-2776-FCO40-3993-Hong-Kong-questions-for-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-on-c-1993 — Page 27

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Social Welfare Department and I hope that that information will get reported.

3 司徒華議員間:三宮先生,政府可否告知本局,三本長期執政的自房宝政府,永近已被顒 愛,新的细川政府,封戰爭的態度與過去的政府有所不同。香港政府全的落此機會,透

邊英國政府代表香港人,可日不提出有關“慰安婦」和「茶質」的問題?

PRESIDENT: I think your question really goes way beyond elucidating the

answer. Mr SZETO Wah. You will have to narrow it.

司徒華議員問:主帶先生,政府可否告知本局,當局會否由於新的您!政狩對 造, 所持態度不同,因而會收集窖關本進的慰安婦」資料,並向日本政府提出「禁情」?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Mr President, it is the case that the previous Japanese Government, in fact the outgoing Japanese Government, did issue an apology earlier this year to all the women who suffered in this way and I believe that that apology was repeated by the present Japanese Government more recently. I think that the question is somewhat hypothetical, as I have said we have no information of any such cases in Hong Kong. If we did receive information on any such cases then we would consider in what ay we could assist them.

MR JIMMY MCGREGOR: Mr President, would the Secretary not agree that it would be entirely appropriate for the Hong Kong Government to take the initiative to ask people whether there is such information available? It would be extremely unlikely for such people, having stayed silent for 50 years, to come forward now of their own volition unless they were sure that the Hong Kong Government wished to have that information and could make use of it.

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Mr President, yes, I believe and hope that, if there are any such cases, the publicity that will no doubt ensue from the question being raised in this meeting will encourage people to come forward. That is why I have tried to indicate how they should come forward.