ENG-1997 — Page 22

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN 1997

November

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223

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Beijing names a 424-strong election committee to elect the HK National Peoples Congress deputies and appoints NPC Secretary-General Cao Zhi to take charge of the election works in HK.

ICAC commissioner, Mrs Lily Yam, leads a delegation to Beijing and Guangdong for a six-day visit to strengthen ties and co-operation with the mainland's anti-graft agencies.

The Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, Mrs Pamela Chan, is elected President of the Consumers International at the 15th World Congress held in Santiago, Chile.

The Deputy Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mr Robin Gill, and the Commissioner for Rehabilitation, Mr Augustine Choi, leave to attend a four-day conference on employment opportunities for the disabled in Tokyo, Japan.

The International Monetary Fund issues a statement supporting the SARG's handling of the current financial turmoil and backing the maintenance of the peg to the US dollar as a way to stabilise the economy.

The International Bank of Asia experiences a two-day minor run following rumours that it was having financial difficulties. A total of $1.6 billion was withdrawn from the bank during this period.

The Chief Executive is elected chairman of an NPC presidium to oversee the election of the HK deputies to the NPC.

The 20-member Estate Agents Authority is established to regulate the conduct of estate agents and to devise a licensing system for estate agents.

The President of Poland, Mr Aleksander Kwasniewski, arrives for a two-day visit as part of his state visit to China, the first by a Polish head of state since 1959.

The Financial Secretary departs for the UK to represent the Chief Executive at the Confederation of British Industry seminar between November 24 and 28.

The Chief Executive leaves for the APEC summit in Vancouver.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that the PRC Government will continue to provide the United Nations with information on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the HKSAR.

A mini cake run on nearly all 43 branches of the Saint Honore cake shops follows rumours that the shops were closing.

Sir Andrew Burns takes up post as new British Consul-General in the HKSAR to replace Mr Francis Cornish,

The Financial Secretary departs for Kuala Lumpur where a two-day meeting of finance ministers discusses the new co-operative framework in the region to stabilise the financial market.