Transcript of Secretary for Development's remarks

Following is the transcript (English portion) of remarks made by Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, on King Yin Lei after attending a public function today (September 20):

Reporter: Are you confident that you can reach some kind of agreements with the present owner?

Secretary for Development: As usual I am an optimist. I think what we have seen in the last few days suggested that this is an issue of concerns of the community. So I would appeal to the new owner to give us an opportunity to sit down and talk it through to see what mutually acceptable arrangements or solutions that we could come up with jointly to respond positively to this community expectation.  Of course the initiative now does not rest with me because I have said repeatedly and made known to the owner's representative lawyer that I would very much like a meeting to see the lawyer and to explain the Government's situation. But up till now, we have not got a response yet.

Reporter: …you don't have the power to demand the owner to meet you…are you passing the buck to…?

Secretary for Development: No, I wouldn't say we are passing the buck. We are doing all that is available to us under the Antiquities and Monument Ordinance. And the speed that we have invoked the ordinance I think has been appreciated by some people at least. But if you said what power we have as a government, we don't have the power to demand people who have committed no crime to come forward. So as I said, I am appealing and I am continuing to contact the lawyer representing the owner's interest to come forward and meet with me. As regards other power, there is further power in the Antiquities and Monument Ordinance that with the prior approval for the Chief Executive, if there is a good reason the Government could itself proceed to restore and repair the monument.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)

Ends/Thursday, September 20, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:33



Back