Beijing should be consulted on whether the Kuomintang flag can be raised at Double Tenth celebrations next year, chief executive contender Tung Chee-hwa said yesterday. 'This is a question which has to be discussed with the central Government because it involves the issue of sovereignty,' said Mr Tung. He spoke as pro-Taiwan activists held low-key celebrations for the last Double Tenth before the handover. About 500 representatives of the culture, education, press and business communities attended the annual function at The Regent Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui. Close to the venue, two Taiwan flags draped on railings in Nathan Road were slashed by a woman armed with a pair of scissors. She left before police arrived. Cheng An-kuo, Taiwan's de facto envoy in Hong Kong, pledged Taiwan would not leave its local office on July 1. 'None of the parties involved, namely Taiwan, Beijing and Hong Kong, said our office should be closed down or Taiwan-Hong Kong relation broken off,' he said. He declined to say whether the Double Tenth would be celebrated next year. The former nationalist stronghold, Rennie's Mill, was fenced off pending demolition. Most residents have been resettled in Hau Tak Estate. The estate was bedecked with nationalist bunting which attracted photographers and painters, who flocked to witness probably the last sea of Taiwanese flags before the handover.
