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Date:
Rptd: Asia Today
Pages: " Log No.: OPRS/L/
MEDIA SUMMARY
Media Research Sub-Division. Government Information Services
Saturday, November 6, 1993
OVERVIEW
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The top story in both the English and Chinese press was flooding in the NT. The Governor's remarks on Sino-British negotiations on HK's electoral reforms were accorded prominence in some papers. Wen Wei Po's lead followed up on the FAC hearing, saying that it had been described as a "farce" by people in the community. The closing of Hutchison's Rabbit Telepoint CM2 business and the fall of the Hang Seng Index were fairly widely reported in the business pages.
CHINESE PAPERS
FLOODING
Severe tropical Storm Ira brought torrential rain, causing severe flooding and mudslips in many places in Northwest NT and Lantau Island, The most seriously affected area was Tuen Mun, where rain water inundated the Fu Tei water treatment plant, damaging all main pumps and leaving 430,000 residents without water for at least a week. An elderly man was killed, a taxi driver went missing and seven other people were injured during the downpour. the papers reported in prominent news and pictorial coverage.
Governor Chris Patten was quoted as giving assurance to the residents affected that the Government departments concerned would do the best they could, round the clock, to ensure speedy full water supply to their areas. S for W James Blake's visit to the Tuen Mun plant to understand repair work being carried out was noted. Also reported was DS for S Ken Woodhouse's Legco briefing on the development. His remarks on the Government's flexible approach to dealing with the operation of the emergency coordination centre were headlines by some papers. SHA Michaci Suen was quoted as saying that depending on the extent of the damage, the Government would extend compensation to flood victims but that there was no plan to raise the level of cash payments.
The HK Daily News in a prominent headline blamed the Royal Observatory (RO) for failing to accurately forecast rainfall. The paper said Lantau residents and Islands DB chairman Daniel Lam criticised the Government for taking no measures to improve the sewage system when carrying out massive construction work on the island. Legco Member Dik Chi-yuen said that the ED should have liaised with the RO to understand the situation in various districts and announce school closures where necessary, to save parents the trouble of deciding whether to send their children to school.
AVIATION
In good coverage, the papers followed up on the plane crash, noting that the captain of the CA Boeing 747, Liu Shou-rong, had emphasised that the incident had not been caused by human error. Meanwhile, the S for S. Alistair Asprey, and various political groups in Legco had praised the rescuers involved. The groups asked that the CAD tighten their controls on the landing and taking off of aircraft or close the runway in bad weather conditions. The Express quoted a spokesman for a HK, transport affairs council, Cheung Sal-cheung, as expressing shock at the crash and calling on the CAD to stop all flight movements during inclement weather. He also urged the CAD to complete its investigation report early.
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BANG IN OUR M
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