Diagrams to prevent a star-tangled banner

Police involved in the daily national flag-raising ceremony have been given diagrams to make sure they do not raise it upside down.

Last week saw the first of the new daily ceremonies, after the historic National Day flag-raising outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre extension.

Senior Inspector Ronnie Choi Kwok-leung of the Central Training Services Division said the three-strong team who carried out Wednesday's ceremony took two weeks to train.

'The National Day flag-raising was a very precise manoeuvre because the flag has to reach the top of the pole exactly on the last note of the national anthem,' Mr Choi said.

'On a day-to-day basis it is not such a precise procedure and will require just a couple of afternoons of outside practice.

'The officers will be given diagrams showing how to fold the flag so that it unfurls the right way up,' he added.

There was no formal liaison between the force and the mainland Government on flag-raising etiquette, but Wednesday's team visited the PLA base on Stonecutters Island to practise.