17 holidays to stay after 1997
HONG KONG people will continue to enjoy 17 annual public holidays after 1997, but will no longer celebrate the Queen's birthday or Liberation Day, according to a Preliminary Working Committee sub-group yesterday.
To make up for this, July 1 - the day Hong Kong returns to Chinese sovereignty - will be added to the holiday list.
The day will be marked by large-scale celebrations and the issuance of new stamps designed and printed by China's Post and Telecommunications Bureau.
Chinese National Day, October 1, and the following day will also be public holidays.
At present, people get days off on the Queen's birthday, June 11, and the following Monday. Liberation Day, the last Monday in August, and the preceding Saturday are also holidays.
Hong Kong co-convenor of the PWC cultural sub-group, Raymond Wu Wai-yung, said there was no need to alter other existing holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.
The sub-group also suggested that the future government recognise university degrees awarded by mainland universities.
The group decided that public-funded schools and organisations could keep their names, despite the fact that they could be reminiscent of British rule.
But certain government departments, like the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, would have to alter their name.
Dr Wu said the names of streets should not be changed.
