Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
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Thursday, October 9, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. CE:Pro-Legco question-and-answer session 2. Transcript of CE's Q&A 3. CE's transcript: RTHK's phone-in programme 4. Transcript of FS's press conference 5. Statement on children II court cases 6. SAR Government proposes amendments to Legco Ordinance 7. Statement on habeas corpus case involving ECVIIs 8. Recall of ice-cream bars supported 9. Ting Kau Bridge to open next year 10. Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations gazetted 11. Fee revision for Companies Registry 12. New resources earmarked for the conservation of Mai Po 13. Site for proposed Marine Life Centre discussed 14. Education camp to disseminate anti-drug messages 15 FSD time capsules a symbol of service commitment 16. Large-scale employment exhibition in Sha Tin 17. Tentative stamp issuing programme for 1998 announced 18. Hong Kong Seashells special stamps on sale next month 19. Latest gradings of beach water quality 1. CE:Pro-Legco question-and-answer session **************************************** Following is the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa' s question-and-answer session (English part) in the Provisional Legislative Council today (Thursday): Mrs Elsie Tu: I' d would like to ask the CE a question about imported labour, I am glad that you have promised to give priority to local workers. But unemployed workers have told me that some bad employers advertise a job, interview the applicants but offer them only half the normal wage for the job knowing that they will refuse the job, and then they report, "Well, I can't find workers, I need imported workers". They then offer a full salary to the imported workers but find a tricky way of paying only half. What sort of action can you take against them to stop this happening? CE: I think we need to be very vigilant to all these bad practices and I am sure the Government will do everything possible, and I think recent examples have shown Government's determination in this respect. I think whether we will import labour or not will very much depend on firstly, when jobs must first be offered to Hong Kong people and if there is only a real shortage then we talk about importation of labour. And there are two committees that have been set up within the Government for different industries. The committees consist of people from the Government, from the Labour Union, from the employers' side, from the Vocational Training, to make sure that all resources are being exhausted and what needs to be done, if there is a need to import any labour or not. And this is a very good way of moving forward. Let us be patient, let them get through with these studies before we decide how to move forward. But one thing is for sure, if there is a decision to move forward then we have to be very sure that these abuses which you talked about do not exist. Mrs Elsie Tu: If I may follow up, would it be possible to make some agreement with the workers themselves that it would be a criminal offence if they accepted less than a salary that is offered to them? CE: I think there are some suggestions on the table what would be the salaries offered; medium salaries; would some of the salaries, actually part of the salary be paid into the Government as a training fund. And these are the things that need to be looked at. But certainly, there cannot be any abuse of this. End 2. Transcript of CE's Q&A ********************** Following is the text of the question-and-answer session of the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, after addressing a joint chamber luncheon organised by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce today (Thursday): Question: ... I would like to ask the question ... it is a vision which I share and support, like many of us here do as well. My question is a simple one. What are the chances for the level of inflation to come down next year, say by at least another one per cent or so? CE: Well, Hilton, I am not a magician; and inflation, it is very worrying. Actually, our inflation is at a ten year low today. And you think about it, for ten years we have sustained a high level of inflation. We are at a ten year low; it is really not good enough and we have to do more. And if you look at the components of what has created inflation, housing actually comes number one, and then there are salaries and so on and so forth. And all these areas, we really need to look at very, very carefully over a long term to bring this inflation down. The good news is that for the first time we actually have positive interest rate. You know, for a long time we had negative interest rate. So I hope it is beginning to help, but a whole lot more needs to be done. But I can't give you a prediction, I'm sorry. Question: Sir, looking at the currency crisis in the region, what are the Hong Kong Government policies towards future US dollar/Hong Kong dollar fix? CE: The US-HK dollar exchange link has served us very well for the last 14 years and there is absolutely no plan whatsoever to change that particular arrangement. The South-East Asia currency has fallen in the past couple of months and obviously it would have an impact on our economy. Tourism is down already. And these markets' exports will probably be more competitive compared with those from China where much of the goods that go through our port have been manufactured. So we will get, probably, hit somewhat. But I think there are a lot of strong fundamentals here and we should not be unduly worried. The other point which I think is important is that it is unrealistic for us to compete based on competitive devaluation. There is no end to it. What we need to do is to identify where we should be as a market to provide the type of services others cannot provide, and then to go as strong as possible on this. And this is why my emphasis is on education, my emphasis is on value-added, and the fact that we are on the doorstep here, we have a very special relationship with our own country. So all this will add to our strength. We have to build on our strength and this is certainly the direction we are going and we think it is the right direction to go. And this is not to say we should not worry about our cost structure. We must be concerned about our cost structure. Question: Mr Tung, ... the press, in taking your speech to bits, has overlooked your vision. Perhaps everyone expects it to be platitudinous, but I for one think that you are remarkably sincere in your vision of a democratic, prosperous, highly computer literate, value- added economy. I would just like to ask a question in relation to your paragraph 146 which relates to the Basic Law and the future of democratic elections. Now when one looks at what is laid down in the Basic Law, which is 20 popularly elected people this next year, then 20 more, then 30, and if one considers that as an arithmetic progression (+4, +6, +8, +10, +12) it means we don't get 100% popularly elected Legislative Council until the year 2018, I think. Now this doesn't seem, to me, to be quite fast enough for public opinion which we've followed very intensively over the last decade. What are your views, after your release from the constraints of the Basic Law, to speed up the proportion of legislative councillors to be elected by popular vote? And secondly, in your policy speech you made no reference to election of the Executive Councillors. Would you care to comment? CE: I would be delighted to. I think democracy is very important to Hong Kong. And what is democracy all about? It is about people having a choice; it is about the government being held accountable to the people; it is about a framework for orderly succession, orderly political framework; it is about the rule of law; it is about the legislature having a check and balance in terms of power against the executive. And we are all moving in that direction. I think the framework laid down by the Basic Law is very suitable for Hong Kong as we develop towards universal suffrage eventually. When would that time frame be? David, to be very honest with you, I'd like to think about it a few years down the road. I think it is important for the community to tackle all these issues on livelihood, on education, which are very, very important to us. The whole community has to be focused on that. And this is not to say democratic evolution is not important. It is important. We have to move forward. We've had five years of debating about that. Now it is time to get on with the livelihood issues. Now, we will be committed to moving towards democracy. But as I said, the framework is now here and we are going to strengthen on it, we are going to build on it, and we will be doing fine. People have criticised me for being conservative. Well, I don't apologise for that. I am. And we move in that direction and then a few years down the road we take a look. And if I may say so, if you look at the history of many, many western countries, from indirect election to direction election and to universal suffrage it takes years and years, sometimes hundreds of years. And we are taking 10 years to move forward. I think we are quite remarkable as a community. Question: Mr Tung, a few days ago your assistant, Anson Chan, said in the press conference that the government achieved 94% of their pledges. I am concerned about the housing in Hong Kong. You said that you will endeavour to provide about 85,000 flat units each year, and also you will endeavour to enable about 70% of the populace in Hong Kong own their own home by the year 2000 something. Could you express in terms of the percentage how confident you are to achieve this target - either 95% or 94% or 100%? CE: Well, I think we have a very good chance to achieve this target. It is important to the community as a whole we achieve this target. Of the 85,000 units about 50,000 will come from the efforts of the government and 35,000 from the private sector. And it is not just the government needing to deliver this but also the private sector and I am very encouraged in all my discussions with the private sector; they are very keen for the long- term interests of Hong Kong to make sure that 35,000 is also delivered. Of course it is incumbent upon the government to produce the land that is needed to produce all these units of apartments. If you think about it, what do we need? We need land; there is land there. What else do we need? We need resources; we have the resources there. And what further do we need? Simplification of our system of approval. We also need a great deal of determination and I think there is now the total complete determination within the administration, within the community, to make this happen. And I am quite confident it will happen, one hundred per cent. Question: Mr Tung, today is supposed to be the Dress Casual Day and I can see that you are observing this day. May I make a proposal that while the cream of society is sitting here enjoying the good food and a good speech, we have to think of the underprivileged. May I make a proposal that those who are not casual, make a donation towards the Community Chest when we pass out of the room, or we can make a collection on the table, and make this a good cause for the day. Floor: Mr Tung, may I second that proposal. CE: Are you going to set examples by telling everybody how much money you put in? Floor: Mr Tung, to answer your question, I will put in $1,000. CE: Very good. Question: Mr Tung, I have a question on housing, on private sector housing, which is one of your priorities. We all agree that the long term solution to the housing programme is to supply more land and build more. But for the short to medium term it seems that there is not very much the government can do because land supply has been short in the past. But in terms of allowing private developers to sell, would you consider relaxing the 15 month pre-sale period to, say, 18 months or 24 months, so that more flats can be made available for sale? And if not, why not? Thank you. CE: This is something that has been raised with me during my consultation exercise. It is something being looked at this moment, so I don't think I should comment on it. But I would say that the issue of housing is an issue that cannot be resolved overnight. It is an issue that takes time. It is not like just turning on the tap- water. And there is always the temptation to introduce administrative measures to bring down the prices. The temptation is always there. And the reluctance to use it is because I think stability is very important. A total collapse is not desirable for Hong Kong, from an economic point of view, from an overall community point of view. But on the other hand, I do have to emphasise that if speculation begins again and gets out of hand, the government will do something and we have measures in hand to do it if this happens. But let's hope we don't have to use that weapon. Question: Mr Tung, I have one livelihood question and I wonder, do you recommend to limit salary increases for next year? And if so, at what level - over or under the rate of inflation? CE: I have heard all sorts of arguments from my friends sitting at this table about what salary levels should be. I think in the private sector, really this is a free economy and supply and demand really should dictate the ultimate level. And this is why I emphasise a great deal of looking at the issue of allowing professionals from Mainland China - there are some really qualified professionals - to come into Hong Kong to help to resolve the shortage issue. So it is these areas where government can really try to be more helpful and the private sector, really, should set their own benchmark and work it through their own systems, I presume purely on a supply and demand basis. Question: Mr Tung, I would like to join the group of accolades for you. As a Hong Kong resident I sincerely wish you the best. I think you have done a marvellous job for all of us. Especially, I have to commend you on your trip to the US where you answered in a very, very graceful manner the democracy demands by the US. I would just like to ask you what is the purpose of changing the schooling to Chinese when English is the utmost important international business language of the world? CE: We notice that both the standards of English and Chinese in this community have been declining and the business community, of which I was a member until not too recently, has voiced the largest of the complaints. And if you look carefully at the reasons why, then you come to a conclusion that there is something wrong with the method of our approach in teaching our languages. And one of the thoughts and the recommendations is mother- tongue teaching; the way recommended by the government actually before July 1, 1997, was to go to mother-tongue teaching. If you go for mother tongue teaching your English will be better, your Chinese will be better, and also it is easier for you to pick up all the other subjects. I was in Singapore not too long ago and I looked into that to look at what Singapore does as far as language is concerned, and it is interesting that in their way each student is asked to learn two languages - one is English and the other is Chinese or Malay or Indian, it depends on which, originally, nationality you were. And it is interesting that about 15% of the people, students, will excel in both; and about 50%-60% will do all right in one-and-a-half, not quite two, of the languages, and all right in the other subjects; and the other 15% or so can only manage one language. So that is their experience. Now we ask ourselves can we manage two; how can we manage it well? And the thought of the government was that if we go on mother-tongue teaching we can in fact improve both our English and Chinese. Now, would we do as well as Singapore or better than Singapore? It will remain to be seen. But the objective is exactly to overcome what you were talking about, that we need to have both English and Chinese as good and that is basically one of the objectives. Question: I want to expand on that question about education. It is an international global problem throughout the world and every country has come up with a conflict of what is the best way to educate the children. Given that it has been proven that an environment free of stress and pressure allows the mind to absorb knowledge, I want you to address the fact that you have suggested competition by a monetary value to the schools, which in my opinion would bring on pressure both for the teacher as well as the student. And again, to learn a language you must be free to absorb it. Could you elaborate on this for us? CE: Well, the criticism at this moment, of our school system, is that it is too centralised. The Department of Education sets the agenda, sets the salaries, sets almost everything. And the objective of the Report No. 7 of the Education Commission was really to say that to go for quality education you need to devolve; you get the authority down to the principal and to each school to let them be held accountable for what is happening. And I think this is a very good way forward. There are many businessmen here and the best way to make the business go forward with the branch offices and departments is to give authority to the people who are really running the business. And this is what the Education Report No. 7 suggests, to give the authority to the principals of the schools to get on with what needs to be done, rather than to have all the authority centralised in one place and I certainly support this very much. And I think the Education Commission consists of really some of the best educators in Hong Kong and they came up with this suggestion after a lot of thought; so was mother-tongue teaching, although it came out of an earlier report. Question: ... of the youth today, and that is why I brought this out. That with the pressure of being the best and excelling, it will also bring on a higher psychological problem and again, suicide has been the number one problem with the youth today. CE: I think anything in excess, one way or the other, is not good, and we really have to apply moderation in what we are trying to do here. Question: Mr Tung, I can't agree with you more about the mother-tongue language teaching. I come from a Chinese school myself and what worries me right now is that over the radio this morning you were being asked (questions) by some new migrants from China who speak to you in Mandarin. We do have a good portion of new migrants that comes in every day into Hong Kong that are children and we are catering our education also to these new migrant children. Now one of these days we may have to choose between Mandarin and the Cantonese language which the Hong Kong community is very familiar with. Do you have any plans that you will be implementing in our education system that after the mother-tongue language teaching method is being introduced, would we eventually be transiting into Putonghua teaching, or do we have a time table for that? CE: For those people who really want to engage in this discussion, I want to complicate it by saying to you that in addition to the dialect aspect of it there is also, in China we use jian ti zi (simplified Chinese characters) and in Hong Kong we use fan ti zi (original complex form of Chinese characters). And then on top of that there are a lot of Cantonese words which sometimes I can't read either which come out in the newspaper. So these are the unique challenges we face ourselves. But I think under 'one country, two systems' we will be using Cantonese. I just hope the newspaper will write in some characters we can all understand. But as our economy becomes more integrated with the Mainland, I am quite sure Putonghua will become more widespread. Not only because it is the dialect of the entire country but also from a practical point of view this is going to happen. And I think, (if) I am not mistaken, in two years' time or so we are going to introduce Putonghua in the examinations here, in the general examinations also. But we will be doing it in Cantonese.... . And for two-and-a-half-hours I tried to do that in Cantonese yesterday. End 3. CE's transcript: RTHK's phone-in programme ****************************************** Following is the transcript of the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa's Question Time on RTHK Hong Kong Today's phone-in programme held this (Thursday) morning: Presenter: As usual, for all these phone-ins we get an avalanche of telephone calls which I know will keep you very busy. But perhaps to get the ball rolling, Mr Tung, perhaps the chief criticism on your speech yesterday was that perhaps you've created too many committees - another tier of bureaucracy - and that the talking and deliberating perhaps should stop, and what we need now in Hong Kong is action, not words. CE: Good morning, Nick. I think the purposes of some of these committees are really quite critical because I want to observe as wide a range of views as possible on many of these critical issues, so that we can become wiser in the decision making process. Actually, the government does have, at this moment, over 400 committees of one form or another. But the ones that I have established, in my view, are really critical for us to move forward. Presenter: Thank you very much indeed. Christine Loh: Mr Tung, this is Christine Loh from the Citizens Party. CE: How are you? Christine Loh: I am very well. Apart from your section, yesterday, on building a business environment and going into the information age, and on education, I think the general feeling is that the rest of the speech lacks specific ideas. So perhaps, I thought, maybe today I can give you a specific idea. As you know, I am very concerned about the environment. In paragraph 76 of your speech you talk about government shortly introducing a trial scheme for LPG powered taxis. One thing that you can do is, in fact, if you spend about $6 billion, perhaps over three years, you can help Hong Kong to buy an entire new fleet of taxis and public light-buses. And the result of this is that within about that period you will reduce suspended particulants by 50 per cent. So I think that is a very dramatic improvement that you can do with relatively little money. And I wondered whether this is the sort of thing you would be prepared to consider? CE: Thank you very much for your suggestion. We certainly will look at these suggestions. What we are doing is that, as we have always done, to do it as we move forward in a way that looks after all the interests of Hong Kong. Air pollution is a big issue. We have started this way by experimenting with a fleet of LPG taxis but if we can do it faster we will look at it carefully. Christine Loh: I think what I am saying is, once you find that LPG taxis are viable - there is no reason in terms of technology that it is not going to be viable - what you need are strong financial incentives, as you well know, to get people to change. So I just want to put it in your mind that for $6 billion, spent over three years, you can give us a 50 per cent reduction in particulants. CE: Thank you for your suggestion. I would like to say that taxi transport continues to need to be a private sector effort, and to the extent government can facilitate, we will certainly look at it. Presenter: RTHK's Hong Kong Today's special phone-in with the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, taking time out from a very busy schedule today to talk to you. Your phone-calls in English, Cantonese or Putonghua will be accepted. We have a caller in English now. Good morning, caller, you are through to the Chief Executive. Question: Good morning. I am very encouraged by your innovative sensitivity to hi-technology. My question is about education and the use of computers in the classroom. Is the policy now simply to help students use computers, as followed by the previous Administration, or is it to provide computer-assisted education, especially at primary level, allowing students much more freedom to work at their own pace and relieving teachers from much routine classroom work, giving them far more time for individual attention? The latter, of course, requires a much greater investment but a much greater return. CE: I think I said yesterday in my policy address that I hope within five years 25 per cent of the curriculum will be taught through the use of the computer. And the purpose, really, is to make our youngsters, both in primary and in secondary schools, become very, very accustomed to the use of computers and that, in fact, through this use of computers get to access a much broader base of materials and knowledge. As to how this will be implemented, this will be left to the schools to do so. But I would imagine that the more creative students should be left alone to do what they can do best. Some of the youngsters are very, very clever with computers and with applications. Presenter: Thank you very much indeed, caller. One point that I would like to bring up, which came a few months ago, was the concern that teachers themselves did not know how to use computers and at colleges they were not being taught how to use computers. Is that of concern to you? CE: I think it is a major concern. In fact, yesterday, in my policy address I talked about the 30,000-odd teachers who need to get themselves involved in computer knowledge. But, you know, our demands on teachers are really very, very heavy now: demands on computer knowledge, better English, better Chinese, better leadership and guidance to the children. So we do expect a lot from our teachers and this is why I also suggested, yesterday, that September 10 be made Teachers Day, to signify the community's respect for the teachers. Question: Good morning, Mr Tung. You have been doing everything good and you are trying to help and you say all good things. But one thing I don't understand is why you want to reduce the elected members in LegCo from, fully elected now there will be 20, and I think, because of this, you can pass any law which you like with good authority? CE: I think we are not doing that at all, that the legislature for the 1998 election, which is going to be held in May, will have 20 directly-elected seats and there will be 2.5 million registered voters and they will be voting for these 20 elected seats. The other 40 seats: 30 will be through functional constituencies and 10 through the Election Committee. And right now, as far as this arrangement is concerned, there is some disagreement with regard to nine of the 30 functional constituencies, as to how widely they are representing the interests of the community. I think, by and large, the proposal we have made is a very sensible one and it will go forward well, and the election in May next year will be fair and open. And we move forward over the next 10 years in the democratic process in accordance with the rules laid down by the Basic Law. So we are moving forward. There is a large degree of democracy here already. Don't forget, I was elected by 400 Selection Committee members. And you probably will remember, it is not just getting the votes of the 400, I had to campaign very hard all over the territory getting the support from the community at large, in order that the 400 would vote for me. So it is for the first time that the Chief Executive, who really has a great deal of authority, is really in one form or another elected by the people of Hong Kong. Question: Mr Tung, would you not like to get elected by all the people? Because if you like to have real authority then let the people elect you. CE: I think we are moving forward in that direction and that in 10 years time we will be able to look at it, to take a decision as to how we move forward. The ultimate objective is universal suffrage, so we are moving forward in that direction. Question: Good morning. I would like to know what Mr Tung is going to do about the ridiculous stage of the rental property market. Everyone needs somewhere to live but we all seem to be held to ransom by already rich and greedy landlords. Surely, the rise in the rental market should be linked to the rate of inflation. What do you think? CE: Thank you very much for reminding me; this is a problem we all share in common and a concern we all share in common. The basic problem is that we do not have enough supply, in the past, of land to build enough housing. And as a result of that demand has been very strong, so the rents have been going up steadily and to a level which is hurting Hong Kong's competitiveness, as well as the affordability of ordinary people. But as I've said any times, the way to solve this problem is really to supply as much land as possible to build as many units as possible, so over a period of time the prices will come down and the rental levels will stabilise. And that is the way we are dealing with it and we hope that the results will come soon in the near future. Question: Don't you think that legislation to keep the prices down now would help in the rental market? CE: Well, our success in Hong Kong has been based on a free market economy and to legislate on rents and so on, if you look at many other countries in the world, what has resulted is also not very desirable. I think the best way to move forward is still on the supply side - to create more land, to make more units available and to achieve a soft-landing in the property prices and the rental market. Question: May it come soon. Thank you very much, Mr Tung. Question (another caller): Good morning Mr Tung. I would just like to ask you why doesn't your government consider to curb the population growth in Hong Kong rather than developing and building more housing estates into the country parks? I mean how many people are coming into Hong Kong from China every day exactly? CE: Well, it is a very good question. In fact, over the last four years or so we have a population growth in excess of two per cent per annum, which is one of the highest of any metropolis around the world. And of that, two per cent is about 120,000 people, although this year I think the figure is going to be higher than that. Of that, about 54,000 a year actually are from China. Most of them are really for reuniting with their families, so really on humanitarian grounds. And many, many are returning migrants who left Hong Kong to go to Australia, Canada and what have you, and now are returning because they see opportunities here to do things. So these are our own people really. And it is a challenge for us but it is a fact we must face. And the way to do it is how to harness this group of people so that they can contribute more to our economy, because there is no other alternative because they are our people of Hong Kong. Question: Yes, you're right. So would the government consider not developing into the country parks so much, because Hong Kong is already very crowded and we need that space for the people to enjoy. Without that, Hong Kong becomes quite unliveable, I think. CE: Well, I'd like to tell you that 18 per cent of Hong Kong's land is actually urban area - we have 82 per cent which is really greens and parks and so on and so forth - and our urban area is really very crowded. But we still have a lot of space and the key is how to do better planning so that on the one hand we can receive all these people who are coming back who are really one of us, one of our community, and on the other hand keep on preserving a very pleasant environment. And we will try to do both as much as we can. Presenter: Thank you very much indeed, caller. That is a very chief concern, of course, isn't it Mr Tung, the eating into the country parks. I live in Sha Tin. That's a concrete jungle now; it wasn't 12 years ago when I went to live there. And Ma On Shan, another area. So people look forward to being able to go to like Sai Kung Country Park. Can you put your hand on your heart and guarantee to the Hong Kong people that you will not infringe on their country parks? Or are you now committed to taking away that very special land? CE: I think, Nick, obviously we like to preserve as much country park as possible. But the other reality is that we need to hold the prices of housing down. The other reality is that the population is increasing. And we have to find the right balance as we move forward. So I can honestly tell you I cannot put my hand on my heart to tell you what you wanted me to say. Question: Good morning Mr Tung. Mr Tung, I am glad to see that the Waste Reduction Plan will be implemented by your administration next year. I would like to see that the principle you bring in, too, that the polluter pays, will not just be a slap on the wrist for businesses and just going on as just another operating expense. Can you say that your administration will ensure that legislation will have effective minimum fines for all areas of the community, particularly the general public, to see that littering and polluting fines will be at such a level that they will act as an effective deterrent? CE: I think keeping Hong Kong clean is really everyone's responsibility and imposing fines, of course, is one way of doing it. And the other way is really to really improve our own culture, to make ourselves feel bad if we litter. And I would think that the second alternative is probably a better way of going about it. I remember in the 70's there was a major effort - in the 60's or 70's there was a major effort on clean Hong Kong and we really need to look at this again because if we are not careful we are going to really make our environment pretty poor. So we will try to do our best. Presenter: Thank you very much indeed, caller. Yes, the worst thing to do is to go around on a Monday morning, around a country park, and see the litter all over the place. But Mr Tung there committing the Hong Kong Administration to implementing a cleaner Hong Kong. Question: Mr Tung, greetings. The fact that you are here, answering open questions from the public, is certainly to be applauded. Of course the Basic Law provides for freedom of speech. Could you therefore clarify the position of free expression on human rights issues in, for example, Tibet, on talk shows such as this? CE: Thank you very much. I think that freedom of information, freedom of speech, is a very important part of our culture. And as you can see, since July 1, really nothing much has changed. Insofar as Tibet and Taiwan are concerned, these are very sensitive issues not with just our country but with Chinese people everywhere, and I hope that when these things are talked about we bear in mind the sensitivity. Because I, for one, feel very much that Taiwan and Tibet are part of China. Now, freedom of expression is perfectly all right. The question is that one has to express it, as you and I do in this talk show, and the other is to advocate it very actively, and the key is how to draw the line. And these are the things that the legislature which will come into being after the May election next year, will have the task of establishing new laws. And of course we are a community of rule of law and when the law is there we would implement it in accordance to the law. Question: I understand. Are you saying that the individual should determine the thin line that should be drawn between responsibility and freedom of expression? CE: I think, no. What I am saying is that laws in accordance with section 23 of the Basic Law will come into being, will be enacted, after the first legislature is elected, and we will have to go in accordance to the law. I am not going to interpret the law because we have a due process of the law, and let the law settle these issues. Presenter: Thank you very much indeed, caller. Mr Tung, what about self-censorship, because that has been a very real concern before and after the handover. What is your view on self-censorship? Do you think that because of that very thin line, there is a danger that journalists and commentators may self-censor their own thoughts, their own writings and even on a talk-show like this? CE: Well Nick, I think there are two parties who can answer this question. One is from your point of view as a journalist, as a programmer, as a responsible person for this programme. The other is a person like me who reads your newspaper, who listens to your talk-shows. From my point of view I don't see any self-censorship. As to whether you feel it or not, you ask yourself. I don't think so. I just don't think so. Question: Mr Tung, I have very great concern about the poor air quality in Hong Kong and wanted to ask another question about using unleaded fuel for the taxi fleet and the light-bus fleet in Hong Kong. It is my understanding that the taxi fleet, that the cost of the three-way catalytic converter and conversion is not the problem, it is the cost of unleaded petrol in Hong Kong that they are concerned about. And the cost of petrol in Hong Kong is so high, due to the high government tax on the fuel. Why is it not possible to eliminate the tax for the taxi fleet in order for them to immediately go to unleaded petrol? CE: Good morning. I think if we talk about taxis there is a whole new issue there. But what I would like to say is that air quality is important and what we are doing as a government is in fact taking it a step further, experimenting with LPG taxis. And if we succeed in that experiment - which we should know within 1998 - if we succeed in that experiment and we have gone through the consequences of that particular experiment, including the costs involved to consumers and everything else, I think the best way to go is really in that direction, to go to the LPG fleet which will be much better than even unleaded. And we shall soon know. Presenter: Thank you very much indeed, caller. Obviously, that is the way the government is looking at the LPG formula for taxis in trying to clean up the air here in Hong Kong. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Tung, for that answer. End 4. Transcript of FS's press conference *********************************** Following is the transcript (English part) of the press conference given by the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang;, Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong; Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung and Director of Housing, Mr Tony Miller; held this (Thursday) afternoon: (1) Question: Mr Tung mentioned this morning that he could not guarantee that the country parks won't be developed in future. So is the Government prepared to develop the country parks in order to achieve the housing target? SPEL: Can I just answer your question very quickly. Of all the land we have now reserved for housing development, as well as to reach the housing target of 85,000, we have not, I repeat not, included any land from country parks. So at the moment we do not think we will need to touch on country parks to achieve that target. Question: But are you prepared to do it in the future? SPEL: What do you mean, prepared? Question: In the future. SPEL: We do not see a need to do that. For the very long term future, we have also mentioned we will undertake a study on North-West NT, North-East NT, Hong Kong Island South and Lamma. We believe these long term strategic growth areas will provide us with sufficient land for housing development. And also, I mentioned this morning that we are now looking into the possibility of re-zoning surplus industrial land as well as farm land which are not being farmed. So that would provide us with a rather major source of land supply spreading over the medium to long term. (2) Question: Mr Tsang - I feel like I should take off my tie - given that Indonesia has now turned to the IMF for help in -- FS: I'm sorry, concentrate on the housing programme. Question: Well this is a question for you as the Financial Secretary. Given that Indonesia has now turned to the IMF -- Speaker: Today, Mr Tsang gives this press conference in his capacity .... Question: So you won't answer any other questions but on housing? FS: Not today, no. I'm sorry. (3): Question: Going back to the pilot scheme again. Will the property developers have any control over the price at which they sell back to the government? And if not, will that be reflected in the land premium they pay for the site? S for H: Everything will be reflected in the premium to be set. In other words, in the actual bidding of the piece of land the developer will have to take into account all the conditions set by the government and therefore put in an appropriate bid on a competitive basis. What we intend to do is to ask for at least 30 per cent of the flats which will be built to be given back to the government. The selling price of those flats given back to the government will of course be determined by the government itself. I have already indicated that it is our intention to sell these flats mainly to the middle-income groups who are eligible for the purchase of subsidised Home Ownership flats. As regards the private flats which the developer owns, it is certainly up to the developer to decide at what price the company should sell but obviously the prices will have some relationship to the subsidised flats that we are selling if translated into the general market flats. End 5. Statement on children II court cases ************************************ Commenting on the ruling made by the Court of First Instance today (Thursday) on four test cases involving children illegal immigrants from China, an SAR Government spokesman said," We welcome the Court's judgement which has affirmed the legality of the Certificate of Entitlement Scheme and its legislative backing. "We will continue to operate the Certificate of Entitlement Scheme and to discuss with mainland authorities to speed up the admission of eligible children through the One Way Permit Scheme. Accordingly, all children, including children born out of wedlock, have to obtain a valid travel document with a Certificate of Entitlement affixed to it as proof of their status." As at the end of September, 8,272 certificates have been issued and 5,016 eligible children have arrived in Hong Kong. "As to the ruling on children born out of wedlock, we are seeking legal advice on it," the spokesman said. End 6. SAR Government proposes amendments to Legco Ordinance ***************************************************** The SAR Government has proposed an Amendment Order to better define the electorate base of the Social Welfare and the Textiles and Garment functional constituencies in the 1998 elections, an SAR Government spokesman said today (Thursday). The Legislative Council Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 1997, which has been endorsed by the Executive Council, is to address problems posed by amendments to the Legislative Council Bill passed by the Provisional Legislative Council (Pro-LegCo) on September 28. One of the amendments, moved by the Hon Chan Kam- lam, seeks to expand the electorate of the Social Welfare functional constituency (FC) by including societies exempted under the Societies Ordinance and non-profit making companies registered under the Companies Ordinance whose aims are related to the promotion and development of social service activities. "However, the terms 'social service' and 'non-profit making' are not defined, and this may give rise to arguments and pose problems for implementation," the spokesman said. As such, alumni associations, student unions, social and recreational clubs, sports clubs, etc. purported to promote social service activities could arguably claim to be entitled to be eligible voter in this FC. To avoid ambiguity, the Government proposes to define the scope of 'social service' to relate only to welfare services by making reference to the seven programme areas included within the purview of the Social Welfare Department, namely: (a) family and child welfare services; (b) services for young people; (c) services for the elderly; (d) services for offenders; (e) rehabilitation services; (f) community development; or (g) social security. To define which societies or companies should be eligible, the Government has made reference to the constitution of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS). "We consider that those societies or companies which wish to be included in the Social Welfare FC should be brought under the same footing as HKCSS members in that any published annual reports and audited/certified accounts would be accepted as a relevant document to support their bona-fides," the spokesman said. The Government also proposes to define 'non-profit making company' as one which is formed for the purpose of promoting the objects as specified in the provision and is required by its constitution to apply its profits, if any, or other income solely in promoting those objects and to prohibit the payment of any dividend to its members. "In order to ensure that eligible electors are bona fide social welfare bodies, we also propose that the exempted societies and non-profit making companies concerned should be operating with paid employees to provide service on a regular basis in accordance with defined aims. "In addition, we also propose that the societies/companies concerned should have been operating under these aims for at least 12 months before the date of application for registration as electors," the spokesman said. This requirement would prevent exempted societies and non-profit making companies from changing their aims to match those now specified in the provision simply for the purpose of getting qualified for inclusion in this FC. As for the Textiles and Garment FC, eligible voters under the current formulation will include registrants of the Textiles Traders Registration Scheme (TTRS) who are carrying on business in specified types of imports or exports of textiles. This is the outcome of an amendment to the Legislative Council Bill moved by the Hon Choy So- yuk. "To help screen in those who are eligible for inclusion in this FC, we propose that TTRS registrants should be accepted as eligible electors if they have declared 'import and export' as their nature of business when registering with TTRS," the spokesman said. Those who have not so declared are also eligible if they can provide Import/Export Notification, to show that they are carrying on import and export business. "In order to prevent the TTRS from being abused as a means to acquiring voting right, we also propose that an additional requirement should be imposed so that only those who have registered under the TTRS for at least 12 months before the voter registration date could become eligible for registration as electors in this FC," the spokesman said. The Secretary for Constitutional Affairs will move a motion to seek Pro-LegCo's approval of the Amendment Order at the Pro-LegCo meeting on October 29. End 7. Statement on habeas corpus case involving ECVIIs ************************************************ The Administration will apply to a Justice of Appeal for a stay of an order by the First Court of Instance today (Thursday) that 112 Ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrant (ECVII) applicants for habeas corpus should be released, an SAR Government spokesman confirmed. Mr Justice Keith, who passed the judgement, was prepared to grant a stay of his release order until 4.30 pm on October 14 (Tuesday) in order to allow the Government time to file its application to the Appeal Court. "The Administration will appeal against today's release order as well as the court judgement on September 26 that freed seven test applicants in the same case. "Notice of appeal will be lodged as soon as possible," the spokesman said. End 8. Recall of ice-cream bars supported ********************************** In response to an announcement by the Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream today (Thursday) of the voluntary withdrawal of all Dreyer's ice-cream bars (Cookies 'N Cream; Vanilla and Almond) from sale at Hong Kong market, a spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said: "The Department of Health supports the action taken by the company as all Dreyer's ice-cream bars are produced in the same plant in Dallas, Texas. "Earlier, the Department found bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, in two samples of Dreyer's Cookies'N Ice Cream Bar on sale here. "It is understood that production at the Dallas plant has already been voluntarily suspended since the incident to facilitate investigation. "There is no evidence so far to indicate that other Dreyer's products manufactured at other locations in the United States are affected. "The Department of Health is currently testing samples of the full range of Dreyer's ice-cream products taken in the course of investigation of the incident. Laboratory results are expected soon and will be announced. "Retailers are asked to comply with the withdrawal notice of the company and stop the sale of all Dreyer's ice cream bars. "Public who may have purchased Dreyer's ice cream bars are advised to return them for refund or replacement according to arrangements made by the company. "The bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, is more commonly associated with other food such as soft cheese and ready-to- eat food. It usually will not cause illness in most people. In others, particularly the young, the old and pregnant women, it may present with fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. In more severe cases, it can cause infection of the brain and meningitis. The disease can also cause abortions in pregnant women. "No reports of any persons being affected by Listeria monocytogenes have been received so far." End 9. Ting Kau Bridge to open next year ********************************* The 1 177-metre long Ting Kau Bridge will be open in mid-1998 to provide an alternative access to Lantau Link. Speaking on the project at a press visit today (Thursday), the Project Director/Lantau Fixed Crossing of Highways Department, Mr Lau Ching-kwong, said erection of the bridge's 170 deck units, each weighs 50 tonnes, was in good progress. "Construction of the approach viaducts and ramps is near completion. It will connect to Route 3 (Country Park Section), Tuen Mun Road and road systems for Tsing Yi Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. "Motorists from the North-west New Territories can use the bridge to access directly to Lantau Link in addition to the Cheung Tsing Tunnel and local road network on Tsing Yi Island," Mr Lau said. Costing $1,740 million, the bridge is a cable stayed bridge with three bridge towers up to 194 metres high and with a dual-three carriageway of 18.8 metres in width in each direction. Spanning over the 900-metre wide Rambler Channel, the Ting Kau Bridge will rank among the longest cable stayed bridges in the world. End 10. Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations gazetted **************************************************** Two regulations which are needed in order to bring the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Ordinance into operation are gazetted today (Thursday). Under the ordinance, arrangements for appeal are provided. Also, fees are payable for applications for an EIA study brief, an EIA report and for various applications in relation to environmental permits. Details of the appeal procedures are set out in the EIA (Appeal Board) Regulation whereas the EIA (Fees) Regulation prescribes the fees to be charged for various applications under the statutory EIA arrangements. A government spokesman said the EIA Ordinance, enacted in February 1997, aimed to improve and strengthen the EIA system in Hong Kong, while providing a clear, transparent and consistent framework for both project proponents and the Government to follow. The implementation of the EIA Ordinance ensures that major development projects would go through the statutory EIA process to identify environmental problems, and implement effective prevention and mitigation arrangements to protect the environment. "The fees are set in line with the government policy that fees should in general be set at levels adequate to recover the full costs of providing the services and in line with the 'polluter pays principle'," the spokesman said. "For projects which require submission of EIA reports, the proposed fee, on average, constitute only a very small fraction, at about 0.02 per cent, of the project costs. "The cost impact on the trades is therefore very mild whereas the general public is unlikely to be affected." "The Appeal Board Regulation would help improve the EIA system in Hong Kong, and thus would benefit the economy," he added. The Environmental Protection Department would provide a technical memorandum on EIA process and guidance notes to applicants to facilitate the preparation of applications. Professional organisations, environmental bodies and interested parties were consulted before the enactment of the EIA Ordinance. The establishment of a dedicated Appeal Board for the EIA Ordinance was welcome by all the organisations consulted. The regulations were endorsed by the Advisory Council on the Environment. End 11. Fee revision for Companies Registry *********************************** A number of fees payable to the Registrar of Companies will be revised with effect from December 1, 1997. The revision, published in the Government Gazette today (Thursday), includes fees covering a wide range of services provided by the Companies Registry in relation to the registration and incorporation of companies and limited partnerships. Fees to be revised are those payable to the Registrar of Companies under the Companies Ordinance (Amendment of Eighth Schedule) Order 1997; the Companies Ordinance (Fee for Taking Affidavit, Affirmation or Declaration) (Amendment) Notice 1997 and the Limited Partnerships Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule) Order 1997. A SAR Government spokesman today (Thursday) said : "The average nine per cent increase was in line with the increase in costs due to inflation over the past 20 months. These fees were last revised in March 1996. "Higher rates of increase are applied to four fee items in the Companies Ordinance (Amendment of Eighth Schedule) Order 1997 in order to rationalise the existing basis of charges. Those fees are charged in accordance to the users-pay principle." Since its establishment as a trading fund in August 1993, the Registry is continuously seeking to improve service quality and efficiency. Among the measures instituted so far are : introducing on-line receipt of documents, providing over 50 computer terminals showing indices of documents held by the Registry, all the directorships held by directors of listed companies and disqualification orders in respect of directors disqualified by the courts, organizing regular customer visits, conducting surveys and questionnaires to ascertain customer needs, setting up customer service desks and a touch-screen information system, as well as organizational restructuring to reduce costs and to streamline office procedures. Currently, the Registry is working on two main development projects which will further enhance the efficiency in making searches for company records by customers. The projects are the expansion of the Registry's database to capture more key data on companies and the provision of an on-line public search facility to allow customers to access the Registry's database in their own offices. The Registry has budgeted for this relatively modest increase in fees to enable it to continue with its programme of developments and improvements in technology and services. End 12. New resources earmarked for the conservation of Mai Po ****************************************************** New resources have been earmarked for the conservation of Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay area after its listing as the seventh Ramsar Site of China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China notified the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in June 1997 that: "The Convention of Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat .... will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with effect from 1 July 1997, and .... the Mai Po marshes of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will be the wetland designated by the People's Republic of China on the list of Wetlands of International Importance." A SAR Government spokesman today (Thursday) said this formal recognition of the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay area as China's seventh Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site) under the Ramsar Convention demonstrated the internationally important status of the area for wildlife conservation. "The Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD) has commissioned a consultancy study to develop a conservation strategy and a management plan for the Ramsar Site. "The study, completed in March 1997, recommended the setting up of a Ramsar Management Authority within AFD to oversee the conservation management of the site. The study also recommended over 200 projects and a staff structure to implement the projects so as to meet Hong Kong's obligations under the Convention. "The SAR Government in general supports the recommendations and has earmarked funds in 1998 - 99 to create 12 new posts and to provide project funds of $4.2 million for AFD to implement the recommendations of the consultancy study," the spokesman said. Conservation projects plan to be carried out in 1998- 99 include a review of the ecological condition of the Ramsar Site, the establishment of a baseline ecological monitoring programme for the site, and the setting up of a species recovery plan for the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill. At the same time, the Government has allocated a sum of $3.2 million for subventing non-government organizations to meet part of the expenses in conserving, maintaining, improving and creating habitats, and providing education programmes for the conservation of the Ramsar Site. "The Government is committed to the conservation of the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site and will implement the recommendations of the consultancy study to fulfil the commitments under the Ramsar Convention subject to availability of resources," the spokesman said. End 13. Site for proposed Marine Life Centre discussed ********************************************** Site selection will be one of the determinant factors in considering the application to construct the proposed Marine Life Centre at Hoi Ha Wan. This was the major issue discussed in the latest Country and Marine Parks Board meeting on Tuesday (October 7), after the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong (WWF HK) has presented details of the proposed centre. Representatives of WWF HK told the Board that a marine-based site was the preferred option for the centre when taking into account all relevant factors such as coral growth, seabed features, ground conditions, vehicular access, cost and time constraints. The consultant of WWF HK considered that the marine-based centre would be visually unobstructive and would integrate well with its surrounding environment. While the Board was in general support of the objectives of the project in marine conservation education, special concern was expressed on the siting of the centre and its impact on the pristine environment. Board members stressed that the natural environment should not be sacrificed and every effort should be made to keep the disturbance of the project to the minimum. To enable members to have a better assessment of the project, a site visit to Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park was scheduled. Another special Board meeting will be held afterwards to further discuss the project. Meanwhile, the Board was consulted on the control of dogs under the proposed Dangerous Dogs Regulation. It was unanimously agreed that the present practice on the control of dogs in country parks should be continued. In the same meeting, the transparency of the Board was also highlighted. Members decided to consider the possibility of opening its meetings within this term. Apart from that, members were briefed on the recommendations made by the Education and Scientific Studies Sub-committee on applications to conduct scientific studies in Marine Parks and Marine Reserve. A total of 14 studies were recommended by the Board for approval. The Board also endorsed the membership of three committees and elected Mr Fung Shiu-wing, Mr John Wong and Professor Brian Morton as chairmen of the Country Parks Committee, Public Relations Committee and Marine Parks Committee respectively. End 14. Education camp to disseminate anti-drug messages ************************************************ About 200 secondary school students from 28 schools will attend an anti-drug education camp from tomorrow (Friday) to Sunday (October 12). Jointly organised by the Civil Aid Service (CAS) Cadet Corps and Education Department, the three-day Anti- drug Education Camp 1997 is targeted at youngsters and aimed at enhancing their understanding of the harmful effects of drugs. Sponsored by the Beat Drugs Fund, the camp, to be held at CAS Yuen Tun Camp, features talks, group games, telematches and team competition to encourage young people to develop healthy and positive attitudes and to say "no" to drugs. The camp was first held last year when more than 200 students nominated by their schools took part. End/Thursday, October 9, 1997 NNNN 15. FSD time capsules a symbol of service commitment ************************************************ The time capsules planted by the Fire Services Department (FSD) at the Chek Lap Kok Fire Station, which symbolize FSD's continuous service commitment to the community, are the first ones under the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Director of Fire Services, Mr Peter Cheung said today (Thursday). Speaking at a time capsule planting ceremony, Mr Cheung said the development of North Lantau and the comprehensive road network did not only help improve traffic flow in the areas but also enabled the Fire Services to provide a much more efficient emergency cover for these areas. He said: "Having considered the fact that people have started moving into the Tung Chung New Town from June this year, the Tung Chung Fire Station cum Ambulance Depot was put into commission in May to meet the demands of the New Town." Mr Cheung said another new fire station cum ambulance depot in Sham Tseng would also be completed by the end of the year. He said the Department also planned to have new fire stations in areas like Ma Wan in the near future to cope with the foreseeable development there. On the new airport in Chek Lap Kok, he said the Department had already begun to deploy, by phases, fire appliances to the Chek Lap Kok Fire Station on September 1. He said: "The two new fire stations and the two sea rescue units in the airport will be set up separately next year." Mr Cheung believed that these facilities would be adequate to cope with any emergency situations inside or outside the new airport, providing it with the best safety facilities in the world. The two time capsules placed at the fire station will be reopened after 10 and 50 years respectively. The time capsules contain different kinds of souvenirs and documents of the Department which serve as mementoes of the handing over of Hong Kong's sovereignty and changes in the Department. End 16. Large-scale employment exhibition in Sha Tin ******************************************** The Labour Department will stage an employment exhibition - "Employment Information Post" next Tuesday (October 14) at Shatin Town Hall to help job seekers to find jobs and assist employers to recruit suitable staff. A total of 15 employers from different trades including manufacturing, catering, department store, banking, hotel, retail, property management, telecommunications and transportation will participate in the exhibition and provide more than 1,700 vacancies for job seekers. They will brief job seekers on the job requirements of their vacancies and can arrange job interviews on the spot or on a later date. Five retraining institutes will also be present to provide job seekers with the latest information on retraining courses. Job seekers who are interested in the courses can submit applications at the venue. The Labour Department will set up a counter at the venue to promote its all rounded employment and career advisory services catering for different types of job seekers. A supplement on vacancies registered under the Supplemen tary Labour Scheme (SLS) will be distributed to job seekers. On-the-spot registration will be provided to job seekers who wish to obtain the job matching services or apply for the SLS vacancies. Information on current labour market situation, retraining services and job search techniques will be disseminated to job seekers by means of talks sessions and video shows. The event is jointly organised by the Labour Department, the Employees Retraining Board and six prominent employers associations. More than 2,300 people visited the exhibition held last year at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. Members of the public are welcome to visit the Employment Information Post to be held from 11 am to 6 pm at the Exhibition Gallery, second floor, Shatin Town Hall, Shatin. Admission is free. End 17. Tentative stamp issuing programme for 1998 announced **************************************************** The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Thursday) the tentative stamp issuing programme for the year 1998. There will be six special stamp issues in 1998 as follows. The release dates are tentative and subject to change: a) Year of the Tiger - January 4, 1998 (Sunday) ----------------------------------------------- This set of stamps, the last in the current series of Lunar New Year special stamps, will comprise four denominations in panes of 50 stamps. A souvenir sheet and a stamp booklet will also be issued. The Year of the Tiger Electronic Postage Labels (Frama Labels) will be released on February 11, 1998. b) Hong Kong's New Airport - April 19, 1998 (Sunday) ---------------------------------------------------- Featuring the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, this set will comprise six stamps. Apart from the normal sheets of 25 stamps each, a special pane comprising four sets of stamps in setenent format will be introduced. A stamp sheetlet incorporating the $5 stamp will also be issued. c) Centenary of the Star Ferry - June 7, 1998 (Sunday) ------------------------------------------------------ This set of four stamps will be issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the "Star Ferry". d) Hong Kong Scouts - July 19, 1998 (Sunday) -------------------------------------------- This set of stamps, which features Hong Kong Scouts, will comprise four stamps. e) Hong Kong Designs - September 20, 1998 (Sunday) -------------------------------------------------- A set of four stamps features Hong Kong's achievement in various types of design work. f) Hong Kong Kites - November 15, 1998 (Sunday) ----------------------------------------------- This set will comprise four stamps featuring different kinds of kites in Hong Kong. A souvenir sheet will also be issued. Apart from commemorative stamps, postage prepaid picture cards will also be issued for the following issues with the same release dates as the special stamps: a) Hong Kong's New Airport b) Centenary of the Star Ferry c) Hong Kong Designs d) Hong Kong Kites Further details of each stamp issue will be announced closer to the date of issue. End 18. Hong Kong Seashells special stamps on sale next month ***************************************************** The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Thursday) that a set of special stamps on the theme of Hong Kong Seashells will be issued on Sunday, November 9. This set of special stamps depicts four groups of seashells which are found around Hong Kong's shores. They are $1.3 stamp (Clam), $2.5 stamp (Cowrie), $3.1 stamp (Cone) and $5 stamp (Murex). It is printed in photogravure and produced in panes of 25 stamps. The stamps were designed by Mr Ken Li and printed by Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands. As from October 20, the stamps will be on display for the advance information of the public at the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office, Tsuen Wan Post Office and Sha Tin Central Post Office. Official first day covers will be put on sale at all post offices at $1 each as from the same day. Advance orders for mint stamps, serviced first day covers and presentation packs will be accepted at all post offices from October 20 to 27. No handling fee is charged. There is no limit on the order quantity but it must be in multiples of five and the minimum is five sets of stamps or five serviced first day covers. The order will be available for customers' collection as from December 1, 1997 at the post office where the order is placed. A beautifully designed presentation pack containing the four stamps will be available for sale at $20 each at all post offices as from November 9. Serviced first day covers affixed with a full set of the stamps cancelled with the special postmark will be put on sale at $15.4 each at the 22 philatelic offices on November 9. A restriction of 10 sheets of stamps of each denomination (viz. 250 sets of stamps), five presentation packs and five serviced first day covers per customer queuing will be imposed on the first day of issue on November 9 and on subsequent days until stock lasts. Hand-back service will be provided at all post offices to official and privately-made covers bearing indication of the first day of issue on November 9. A special postmark will also be introduced. The GPO-1 hand stamp will also be available for hand-back service at all 22 philatelic offices. All post offices will be opened on November 9 and the opening hours will be from 8 am to 4 pm. However, counter services provided will be restricted to sale of the new stamps and acceptance of registered mails only. End 19. Latest gradings of beach water quality ************************************** The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (Thursday) released its latest beach water quality monitoring results to inform swimmers and the public about the water quality of the beaches in Hong Kong. The beach grading results are announced weekly during the bathing season to coincide with the weekly frequency of beach monitoring by EPD. Under EPD's monitoring system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the most recent trends in E. coli data collected. Among the 37 beaches, 16 are found to be in "good" condition (Grade 1), 15 "fair" (Grade 2) and six "poor" (Grade 3). "Grade 1" beaches include: Repulse Bay (S) Lo So Shing (S) South Bay (S) Pui O (S) Turtle Cove (S) Tung Wan on Cheung Chau (S) Clear Water Bay 1st (S) Trio (Hebe Haven) (S) Cheung Sha Upper (S) Clear Water Bay 2nd (S) Hung Shing Yeh (S) Hap Mun Bay (S) Kwun Yam Wan (S) Kiu Tsui (S) Tong Fuk (S) Cheung Sha Lower "Grade 2" beaches include: Big Wave Bay (S) St Stephen's (S) Deep Water Bay (S) Discovery Bay* Middle Bay (S) Silverstrand (S) Chung Hom Kok (S) Hoi Mei Wan Shek O (S) Tung Wan on Ma Wan (S) Casam (S) Golden Beach (S) Hairpin (S) Kadoorie (S) Stanley Main (S) "Grade 3" beaches include: Silvermine Bay(S) Old Cafeteria Lido (S) New Cafeteria (S) Gemini Butterfly (S) Note: * Non-gazetted beach (S) Shark prevention net installed The grades of Repulse Bay, Cheung Sha Lower have changed from "2" to "1"; Casam and Kadoorie have changed from "3" to "2"; Chung Hom Kok, Hairpin, St Stephen's and Stanley Main have changed from "1" to "2" and Butterfly has changed from "2" to "3". These changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of these beaches. In general, many beaches are likely to be more polluted than the grades suggested during and after periods of heavy rain. Hence, bathers should avoid swimming at beaches, particularly Grade 3 and 4 beaches, for a few days after a storm or heavy rainfall. The public are reminded that Grade 4 beaches are generally considered unsuitable for swimming at any time. At present, five gazetted beaches, namely Anglers', Approach, Ting Kau, Castle Peak and Rocky Bay, are closed to swimmers based on the beach water quality monitoring data for 1996. End
