Macao SAR Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah presided over the ceremony held at the Golden Lotus Square, which accommodates the golden lotus sculpture given by the central government last year as a gift for the establishment of the SAR.

With the time of flag-raising approaching, a local police band and teams of public security, fire-fighting and marine police forces marched into the square to receive the inspection of the chief executive.

At exactly 8:00 am, two policemen walked into the square amid the tunes of the solemn national anthem, carrying the national flag and the SAR's regional flag. All the people present stood silently, watching the flags going up the poles slowly.

More than 300 people attended the flag-raising ceremony, including officials of the local administrative, legislative and judicial organs and people from various social sectors.

Also present were Ma Man Kei, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Wang Qiren, director of the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Macao; Yuan Tao, commissioner of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao; and Liu Yuejun, commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Macao Garrison.

Just opposite the square is the Macao Forum, which witnessed the official inauguration of the Macao SAR government on December 20 last year, when a large-scale gathering was held to celebrate the SAR's founding.

Since then, Macao entered a new historical era in implementing the principles of "one country, two systems," "Macao people governing Macao" and a high degree of autonomy in the Macao SAR.

(Xinhua 12/20/2000)