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Following is the speech of the Postmaster General, Mr Allan Chiang,

at the "Year of the Rooster" Special Stamps Issuing Ceremony today (January 30):

Mr Ma, distinguished guests and friends from the media,

Good morning, welcome to the issuing ceremony of "Year of the Rooster" special stamps. For nine more days, we shall usher in the Chinese Lunar New Year. Wish you all good luck and happiness in the year to come. Now I would like to first extend my special thanks to Mr Ma, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, for officiating at this ceremony. I am also grateful to the little dancers for performing such a fascinating and vivid "chick dance" for us.

According to Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Rooster have a sharp and observant mind and are consistently practical, resourceful and well organized. And these are precisely the qualities that are required for performance and success in our rapidly changing business world.

As for Hongkong Post, we face the challenge of a more competitive economy on the bedrock of our ability to respond to rapid market changes and the incessant drive for dynamism and adaptability in industry. To cater for the common and specific needs of the general public and our business partners, we always strive to provide the best service to them. In other words, we take both pragmatic and proactive approaches to face the challenges and we do succeed in capitalizing on our comprehensive network for new services, such as international fulfillment, electronic trade declaration, collection of bill payment, etc. Today, I'm proud to say that we Hongkong Post are no longer a traditional postal operator but a diversified service provider.

To celebrate the coming of the Chinese New Year, today we present to you the sixth issue of our third zodiac series - a set of four special stamps for the Year of the Rooster. Graded in tone, each of them has a richly coloured backdrop with the image of rooster appearing to stand out from the surrounding background. A five-colour production process has also been employed for a framing effect as the silver foliage superimposed on the images. This set of stamps is just a perfect gift to be sent out in this festive season. Think of including them in your shopping list. So is our Alphabet Stamps issued early this month. You may make use of these stamps to spell out your regards to your friends and relatives. If you are too busy for that, just think of buying those souvenir covers affixed with standard blessing message such as Kung Hei Fat Choy to express your greetings to them.

If you are looking for something special, just go downstairs to our Postshop on the ground floor of the General Post Office. It is a feast for the eyes to shop there. If you can't make up your mind in a short while, you may think of doing the shopping on the Net at our Shopthrupost and order online. The gift will then be delivered to the receiver's doorstep, hassle-free. If your friends or relatives live in the mainland and you want to send your best wishes to them, I am sure that our Hong Kong/Mainland Gift Fulfillment Service could be of help to you. There is an array of gift sets specially designed for the Chinese New Year. All in all, you will find that we Hongkong Post is no longer a sole postal operator but a caring organization that offers different services for every walk of life.

Lastly, may I wish you all every success in the Year of the Rooster.

Thank you!

Ends/Sunday, January 30, 2005

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