A series of celebrations have been planned for April to September next year to mark the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland and the establishment of the special administrative region (SAR).

The celebrations will be held in Hong Kong, the mainland and several cities overseas to showcase the SAR's achievements in the last decade and highlight the opportunities it offers.

"The main theme of the celebrations will be the successful implementation of the 'one country, two systems' principle," Raymond Young, director of the Celebrations Preparatory Office, said yesterday.

"We will take this opportunity to advocate the Hong Kong spirit that leads us through challenges and to showcase our fighting spirit," Young told a press conference.

Apart from official events, the government will also oversee and coordinate other celebratory programs with various departments and civilian organizations, he said.

Among the must-see local celebratory events would be the flag-raising ceremony, parades, fireworks display and variety shows.

Other activities include exhibitions, international conferences, infrastructure related programs, and cultural and sport meets, while a football match featuring a star-studded foreign team is very much on the cards.

Road shows highlighting Hong Kong's past achievements and future development, coupled with overseas visits by principal officials in the second quarter of 2007, would be the main attractions of overseas celebrations.

"As we expect the 10th anniversary celebrations to be a territory-wide affair for everyone, we will encourage all quarters of the community to participate and support them," Young said.

Civilian groups can organize their own celebrations, or co-organize them with the government or sponsors, Young added.
For instance, Ocean Park has promised free admission in July and August 2007 to children born in Hong Kong or overseas in 1997, he said. Talks with other amusement parks on a similar arrangement are ongoing.

Community groups organizing celebrations can apply for "accreditation" and subsequent entry on the official program list if they fulfill certain requirements.

First, they should be legally registered bodies. The theme of their events should be the 10th anniversary and they should be open to the public.

Also, the events should be non-profit in nature and should be held between April 1 and September 30, 2007. Further, they should ensure that they do not cause insurmountable traffic and crowd-control problems.

Another program of interest is a photography competition that aims to reflect the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle and the can-do spirit of the Hong Kong people.

Entries from youths aged between 10 and 17 years, and from the open and mobile phone groups (18 and above) will be accepted from November 15 to January 12, 2007.

Young said: "We will set up a fund to meet the expenses of the 10th anniversary celebrations that are open to application by the government departments. Like what we did last year when we organized the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference, we will solicit commercial sponsorship from the business sector."

On whether state leaders would attend the celebrations, Young said he could not say at this stage. But he earnestly hoped that they would.

Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions president Cheng Yiu-tong said the federation would organize celebrations on a large scale.

"As to the content, we are still holding discussions with other community organizations, but there should be a parade," he said.

Interested parties can visit www.gov.hk/10, or call 2835-2500, for more information.

(China Daily HK Edition November 6, 2006)