1987 — Page 85

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Nevertheless, the Boad deeply appreciates the action of the Police in bringing this matter to its attention, and I am sure that this and any other nightclub where suspicious incidents take place nearby will be kept under Police notice.

I might add that not only the Police but members of the Board themselves regularly inspect licensed premises. Therefore let me warn all licensees that at any time the Liquor Licensing Board may arrive on the premises on a surprise inspection visit.

STATEMENT BY MR. LAM CHAK-PIU, MEMBER OF THE PERFORMING COMPANY SUB-COMMITTEE

He said (in Cantonese):—At the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra took part in the first China Art Festival, giving two performances before capacity audiences at the Beijing Concert Hall on September 12 and 13. I had the pleasure to head the 90-member team to the Chinese capital. This was one of the cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and China that follow a visit to Beijing and Shanghai by a Council delegation led by the Chairman last November.

Both concerts attracted hundreds of professionals in arts circles in China. Furthermore the first one was attended by Mr. Ji Pengfei, Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, and at the conclusion of the performance, Mr. Ji presented a souvenir trophy to the Orchestra.

It was indeed an honour, if not a privilege, for the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to have been invited to perform in China's first ever National Arts Festival. Though Chinese orchestral music originated in China, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is now recognized by music circles in China as taking a leading role in developing Chinese music. Most of the professional musicians I spoke to in Beijing saw the Orchestra's visit as an opportunity for them to learn about its high standard of performance and organization. It is hoped that the visit will generate a long-term impact on the future development of Chinese music in China. Indeed, Mr. Ji Pengfei told me he was surprised to see the Orchestra's great achievements in promoting traditional Chinese music in a modern city such as Hong Kong.

The visit was backed by a well thought-out publicity plan which was aimed at not only publicising in Hong Kong China's invitation to the Orchestra but also promoting in China the Council's image as a prime promoter of the arts in Hong Kong, Hong Kong's image as a cultural city and the Orchestra's image as a leader in developing Chinese music.

I sincerely believe that the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra's Beijing tour has served to strengthen the cultural links between China and Hong Kong and foster the exchange of ideas and experiences between Chinese music circles in China and Hong Kong. It has also raised the morale of members of the Orchestra besides enhancing its image in Beijing and Hong Kong.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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I recommend that the Council should continue to support participation by our performing companies in similar festivals in the future.

STATEMENT BY MR. LEE CHIK-YUET, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE

He said (in English):--A direct, frank and effective meeting between repre- sentatives of Urban Council and Urban Services Department and a group of ex-stallholders of Wong Tai Sin Market was held in the afternoon of 2 October 1987 in the absence of outside interference. At dusk, the ex-stallholders automatically ended their sleep-in demonstration that had lasted for 65 days and removed the slogans and articles outside the UC Chambers immediately after the meeting.

Now that this incident has come to the end of this stage, I believe that every member of the Council and staff of the Secretariat and Urban Services Department can have a breathing spell. As far as I know, this is the first time that people came to stage a sleep-in demonstration outside the UC Chambers which lasted for quite a long time. Moreover, in the course of the event there were some rumours or reports that presented a one-sided picture of the story. I therefore think that it is necessary to take this opportunity to give an account of the background and course of the incident to the Council and the public at large in order to clarify the case.

With a total of 347 stalls, the Wong Tai Sin Market was completed in 1973. However, only 223 stalls were let out before this incident happended. But only about 10% of them were in normal operation. Even if those operated on a part-time basis were counted, the figure would probably remain below 30%. The market has been running at a loss over the years. It is anticipated that the deficit for the year 1987/88 will be about $430,000. For various reasons, the market has remained non-viable so far. This point was admitted in the Consultative Document on Hawker and Market Policies published towards the end of 1985.

Owing to redevelopment by the Housing Authority, the population within the area has dropped from 70 000 in 1978 to 38 000 in 1987. The redevelopment programme includes the acquisition of the sites of UC Wong Tai Sin Market and Tai Shing Street Temporary Market for the construction of several thousand public housing units. In the past few years, the Council has therefore been discussing with the Housing Authority the provision of adequate market facilities for Kowloon Central Estate as a whole and on the resiting of the stallholders of the two above-mentioned markets under the Council. In this complicated exercise, the Council and the Housing Authority had considered a number of proposals. After careful and repeated deliberations, we find it necessary to take into full account the views of Wong Tai Sin District Board and Wong Tai Sin District Office, the urgency of HA's redevelopment programme, the guiding policy on the construction of markets adopted by the Council and

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