************
Following is the transcript (English portion) of a press conference hosted by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, at the Conference Hall of the Central Government Offices New Annexe today (May 28):
Chief Secretary: The most important elements in this campaign are three. First, it is zero tolerance. This is the attitude we are going to adopt in prosecution, particularly in prosecution against spitting and against littering. The second important element is community involvement. It is not only the Hong Kong SAR government working on this important enterprise but the whole community taking part in it in different forms, both at district level and the territorial level. And the third one is sustainability. In other words our whole project is aimed at securing community support to ensure that the measures will have durable effects in the long run. All these three elements characterise the difference between it and previous campaigns we conducted in this regard. I'm happy to answer questions.
Reporter: We have had previous campaigns to clean up Hong Kong. How can you make sure that this one will be more successful than the previous ones, given that you have just mentioned that there are still a lot deeply rooted bad patterns, such as spitting and littering?
CS: The important difference is that we are emphasising in this particular exercise community involvement -- involvement not only in a certain aspect of the work or in publicity, but rather in the preparation of a manual of activities. The 70-odd measures that we are conducting in phase one and the follow-up measures that we are doing in phase two will involve individual activities, the community and different sectors, at the grassroots level and the local level and the territorial level. And when we actually carry out these activities there will be community participation, and particularly when the exercise of cleanup has been completed, then enforcement work will involve community monitoring as well. I do believe that after the episode of SARS, Hong Kong people generally are acutely aware of the dangers of various unhealthy and unhygienic habits that are entrenched in the community. There's a good opportunity that we are going to make a break away from it.
Reporter: I noticed that something like 40% of all the sewage is still dumped untreated into the harbour. And perhaps I missed it but I don't see any mention of that in your otherwise excellent report. It would seem to me to be an environmental problem and I'm wondering if it's an issue you intend to address?
CS: The question of sewage treatment is one that is being tackled elsewhere by Miss Sarah Liao in a context of environmental protection. What we are trying to do is to deal with environmental hygiene problems caused by littering, spitting, poor buildings management and dirty personal hygienic habits. But it does not mean that we are not doing other things at the same time. What we are saying is, we are now focusing all the essential measures directed at preventing the recurrence of epidemics of the kind we talk about, like SARS, and this is the main thrust of our effort. But we also have parallel efforts taken by other colleagues in the administration, including of course in sewage treatment. We have a permanent programme of sewage treatment, we also have a public works programme dealing with improvement of sewage systems generally in the New Territories.
Reporter: Will that be accelerated at all, because if you go down to Causeway Bay typhoon shelter you'll see that it's an environmental hygiene problem and one that could spread disease?
CS: All I can say is, these are being tackled generally. I am sure that we will do it as fast as public funds availability permits, and this is a matter which I'm sure Miss Sarah Liao will take on board. And she is doing a good job.
Reporter:... water and air pollution ....?
CS: As far as environmental pollution is concerned, particularly in relation to water, air and sewage, these are being tackled in other forums and there are satisfactory discussions and progress is being made, both in terms of air quality and water quality, over the last three years. And there is significant improvement and they are probably on the right track. But what is important now is that we can see there are problems emanating from personal hygienic habits, household hygiene unsatisfactory conditions and some environmental unhygienic problems relating to building maintenance and so on. These are the areas on which we are concentrating, particularly in relation to the SARS epidemic, where we can see the origin of it is poor building maintenance and unsatisfactory personal habits, and these are the things we are concentrated on. But this does not mean that other efforts that are going on in relation to reducing air pollution and water pollution will be slowed down. In fact, they are going on at the same time and progressing quite satisfactorily.
Reporter: Then you will be reviewing this at the second stage?
CS: I am sure. We will be reviewing our measures and my colleagues in dealing with environmental protection will be reviewing their measures. If there are areas in which we can co-operate we will certainly do so.
Reporter: The culture, the attitude towards the environment in Hong Kong hasn't been great.
CS: Well, it is a difficult task, otherwise it would not involve so many of my colleagues here and it also involves community participation. It is a monumental task but it is an important step that Hong Kong must go through if we aspire to be a city of the first rank and not only as a very successful international financial centre, but in fact a "clean room" in Asia -- that's what we aspire to. I think we have the qualifications to do that.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion.)
End/Wednesday, May 28, 2003
NNNN
