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Following is the text of the statement made by the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, at the meet-the-media session today (Monday):

"As announced in a Government statement earlier today, I have decided to resign from the civil service at the end of this month. I will commence leave on August 1, 1998 and vacate my office as Secretary for Security on that day.

"I have decided to leave the civil service after almost 25 years - a quarter of a century since I joined the then Hong Kong Government in 1973 - entirely for my own personal reasons. I wish to spend more time with my family who, as some of you may know, reside in Australia. As I am on the new pension scheme, which does not provide for early retirement, I have to resign by giving three months' notice, which I have done.

"Let me make it clear that the decision to resign from the civil service is entirely my own. I do so for personal reasons which I have explained above. It has nothing to do with my work.

"I remain convinced that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has a bright future, and that 'one country, two systems' is working well. For the past 13 years since the entry into force of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1985, I have been almost continuously involved in work relating to ensuring a smooth transition. I am glad that a smooth transition is now a reality, and that Hong Kong has remained a stable society. Naturally, much remains to be done to take Hong Kong into the twenty-first century. I am confident that my successor, Mrs Regina Ip, will be able to lead the very able team of civil servants in the Security Bureau, and indeed in the Disciplined Services, to greater success. I wish her the best of luck."

End/Monday, July 27, 1998

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