Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin met with Tsang Tak-sing, the Secretary for Home Affairs of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on September 14. The official from HK is in town to attend the closing ceremony of the 2009 Deaflympics at the invitation of city hall.

During the meeting, Hau expressed his gratitude to the HK government for their support of the games in Taipei. Citing the recent overseas promotion campaign organized by the city government, the mayor noted that the session in Hong Kong was well received by locals and attracted the attention of foreign dignitaries and media. He also thanked Tsang for taking time to attend the closing ceremony.

Tsang congratulated the city for holding a spectacular opening ceremony. Having attended a table tennis match earlier, he rooted for the HK team and remarked that the performance of the athletes has been outstanding.

Hau said he is proud and very thankful for the dedication of Director Stan Lai and the 10,000-plus volunteers; their devotion and contribution to the game help make the international event a success. He briefed Tsang on what to expect at the closing ceremony, including a traditional Taiwanese outdoors banquet and a performance by the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Company.

Hong Kong will host the East Asian Games in December of 2009. In preparation for the event, Tsang exchanged views with Taipei Deaflympics Organizing Committee Director Emile Sheng on issues ranging from schedule organization to venue planning.