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of a cultural complex in the District. I myself, of course, will not shirk the responsibility of joining in such a struggle. In fact, there is a suitable site for the development of a cultural complex in Kwun Tong. The hard-surfaced football pitch at the junction of Tsui Ping Road/Kwun Tong MTR Station, which is a temporary facility, has actually been reserved for cultural purposes under Government planning all these years. Mr. Chairman, the Kwun Tong Provisional District Board, the several hundred thousand residents of Kwun Tong and I carnestly hope that the Urban Council and Government officials responsible for planning and cultural matters, in their incessant calls for enhancing, popularizing and promoting arts and culture, would remember that Kwun Tong District is in dire need of a cultural complex.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support your motion.
Mr. Francis TANG CHI-HO (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, today, I would like to express my opinions primarily on the attitude of this Council and the Department in their handling of the Diaoyu Islands incident.
On 18 October 1996, I put forward a motion requesting the Council to show concern for the Diaoyu Islands incident and to direct the strongest denouncements against Japan's invasion of Chinese territory. Unfortunately, the Councillors at that time, while claiming to be patriotic and seething with indignation, retreated when it became necessary to turn empty talk into concrete action. They toned down their remarks and even shouted incorrect views and hurled the accusation that some people had become patriotic all of a sudden. To enable us to take official and comparatively unbiased action in Hong Kong and to express our concern for the Diaoyu Islands, I was ultimately willing to amend my request into one which required the Council to organise a historic exhibition on the Diaoyu Islands. Even though the motion was merely about an exhibition, it had to surmount various obstacles and undergo discussions before approval was finally given to forward it to the Museums Select Committee for action. It has been one-odd year, but we have still failed to see any progress. I cannot but wonder if the Department and the persons concerned actually have the intention to process my request. Perfunctorily, they only want to brush the incident aside and let it be forgotten.
At first, there was a lot of zeal and concern for the campaign to protect the Diaoyu Islands, but now no one asks about it anymore. Some people have even attacked certain organisations and said that their downfall was just what they deserved. Of course, many factors were involved. As Hong Kong was ushering in the new era of Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong, I thought that the campaign to protect the Diaoyu Islands could, with assistance from the Government, be revived from its slumbers. It never occurred to me that civil servants in Hong Kong would be indifferent to the Diaoyu Islands incident. What I wish to criticise is precisely such attitude. At that time, the Department said that no staff member of the Urban Services Department had
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of a cultural complex in the District. I myself, of course, will not shirk the responsibility of joining in such a struggle. In fact, there is a suitable site for the development of a cultural complex in Kwun Tong. The hard-surfaced football pitch at the junction of Tsui Ping Road/Kwun Tong MTR Station, which is a temporary facility, has actually been reserved for cultural purposes under Government planning all these years. Mr. Chairman, the Kwun Tong Provisional District Board, the several hundred thousand residents of Kwun Tong and I carnestly hope that the Urban Council and Government officials responsible for planning and cultural matters, in their incessant calls for enhancing, popularizing and promoting arts and culture, would remember that Kwun Tong District is in dire need of a cultural complex.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks. I support your motion.
Mr. Francis TANG CHI-HO (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, today, I would like to express my opinions primarily on the attitude of this Council and the Department in their handling of the Diaoyu Islands incident.
On 18 October 1996, I put forward a motion requesting the Council to show concern for the Diaoyu Islands incident and to direct the strongest denouncements against Japan's invasion of Chinese territory. Unfortunately, the Councillors at that time, while claiming to be patriotic and seething with indignation, retreated when it became necessary to turn empty talk into concrete action. They toned down their remarks and even shouted incorrect views and hurled the accusation that some people had become patriotic all of a sudden. To enable us to take official and comparatively unbiased action in Hong Kong and to express our concern for the Diaoyu Islands, I was ultimately willing to amend my request into one which required the Council to organise a historic exhibition on the Diaoyu Islands. Even though the motion was merely about an exhibition, it had to surmount various obstacles and undergo discussions before approval was finally given to forward it to the Museums Select Committee for action. It has been one-odd year, but we have still failed to see any progress. I cannot but wonder if the Department and the persons concerned actually have the intention to process my request. Perfunctorily, they only want to brush the incident aside and let it be forgotten.
At first, there was a lot of zeal and concern for the campaign to protect the Diaoyu Islands, but now no one asks about it anymore. Some people have even attacked certain organisations and said that their downfall was just what they deserved. Of course, many factors were involved. As Hong Kong was ushering in the new era of Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong, I thought that the campaign to protect the Diaoyu Islands could, with assistance from the Government, be revived from its slumbers. It never occurred to me that civil servants in Hong Kong would be indifferent to the Diaoyu Islands incident. What I wish to criticise is precisely such attitude. At that time, the Department said that no staff member of the Urban Services Department had
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